ON TIMEBOARD

IAH → MIA on time

Houston Bush Intercontinental (Houston, TX) to Miami (Miami, FL). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
77%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
1.3%
3,665 flights
Typical arrival
−8 min
median vs schedule
When late
+93 min
average delay
Flights / day
10
4 airlines

77% of flights from Houston to Miami arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is about the typical U.S. route. The 5 a.m. departures ran on time 90% of the time; the 8 p.m. ones 58%. Most reliable airline: United Airlines (82%). 9% of flights arrived more than an hour late or not at all.

How late?

The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for IAH → MIA: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 51% of the time. About 1 in 13 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 46 three hours or more; 1.3% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 3,665 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
American Airlines1,70878%1.1%−8 min8.3%+110 minAmerican Airlines 92%, Envoy 8%, Republic Airways 1%
United Airlines1,43882%0.3%−9 min4.9%+57 minUnited Airlines
Spirit Airlines32366%3.7%−4 min14.2%+81 minSpirit Airlines
Frontier Airlines19665%6.1%−6 min12.8%+170 minFrontier Airlines

Airline = the name on the ticket. Regional flights (e.g. "Delta Connection") count under the ticketing airline, and the operator is listed.

Best time of day to fly

On-time rate by scheduled departure hour (local time at IAH). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%5 a.m. departures: 90% on time (393 flights)905a6 a.m. departures: too few flights (12 flights)6a7 a.m. departures: 89% on time (671 flights)897a8 a.m. departures: too few flights (20 flights)8a9 a.m. departures: 79% on time (251 flights)799a10 a.m. departures: 80% on time (112 flights)8010a11 a.m. departures: 75% on time (246 flights)7511anoon departures: 82% on time (359 flights)8212p1 p.m. departures: too few flights (12 flights)1p2 p.m. departures: 74% on time (218 flights)742p3 p.m. departures: too few flights (75 flights)3p4 p.m. departures: 70% on time (241 flights)704p5 p.m. departures: 61% on time (192 flights)615p6 p.m. departures: 68% on time (599 flights)686p7 p.m. departures: 75% on time (114 flights)757p8 p.m. departures: 58% on time (121 flights)588p9 p.m. departures: too few flights (27 flights)9p
IAH → MIA, share of flights arriving on time, by departure hour. Hours with under 100 flights are greyed out.
82%+ on time76–82%68–76%under 68%too few flights

By airline and hour

DepartsAmerican AirlinesUnited Airlines
5 a.m.90%—
7 a.m.88%90%
9 a.m.79%—
11 a.m.74%—
noon—83%
2 p.m.—72%
4 p.m.—76%
6 p.m.59%81%
7 p.m.—76%

Last flight of the day

On IAH → MIA, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 1.1% of the time, against 0.8% for its earlier flights (1.5× as often). It arrived 3+ hours late 2.7% of the time (earlier flights: 1.4%). It matters more than the numbers suggest. Miss an earlier flight and there's another one that evening; miss the last one and you're usually waiting until morning.

AirlineLast departureLast: cancelledLast: 3h+ lateEarlier: cancelledNext morning
American Airlines6:15 p.m.1.6%3.6%1.0%first flight 5:16 a.m.
United Airlines7:01 p.m.0.0%1.6%0.4%first flight 7:25 a.m.

Last flight = the airline's last scheduled departure on this route that day, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Times are typical scheduled times over the latest three months.

If you need to be in MIA tonight, book an earlier flight so there's a backup if it's cancelled.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: October (82%). Worst: July (62%).

40%70%100%Jan: 73% on time (927 flights)73JanFeb: 78% on time (838 flights)78FebMar: 68% on time (968 flights)68MarApr: 80% on time (885 flights)80AprMay: 67% on time (942 flights)67MayJun: 68% on time (852 flights)68JunJul: 62% on time (874 flights)62JulAug: 71% on time (846 flights)71AugSep: 79% on time (744 flights)79SepOct: 82% on time (805 flights)82OctNov: 82% on time (901 flights)82NovDec: 75% on time (935 flights)75Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday54678%1.8%
Tuesday46282%1.5%
Wednesday48284%0.8%
Thursday54279%1.3%
Friday54279%0.7%
Saturday53772%0.9%
Sunday55470%1.8%

Why flights were late

Share of delay minutes on flights 15+ minutes late, as reported to BTS by the airlines.

Late inbound plane 43%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 35%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 17%Severe weather 6%

Cancellations: weather 27 · airline 16 · air traffic/airport 4

Month by month

40%70%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Sep 2023: 71% on time, 0.5% cancelledOct 2023: 76% on time, 1.2% cancelledNov 2023: 84% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2023: 75% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2024: 60% on time, 8.4% cancelledFeb 2024: 77% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2024: 64% on time, 3.1% cancelledApr 2024: 80% on time, 0.4% cancelledMay 2024: 57% on time, 2.7% cancelledJun 2024: 59% on time, 4.8% cancelledJul 2024: 52% on time, 10.6% cancelledAug 2024: 69% on time, 2.7% cancelledSep 2024: 83% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2024: 88% on time, 1.1% cancelledNov 2024: 82% on time, 0.3% cancelledDec 2024: 69% on time, 0.9% cancelledJan 2025: 75% on time, 4.6% cancelledFeb 2025: 76% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2025: 74% on time, 1.2% cancelledApr 2025: 81% on time, 1.0% cancelledMay 2025: 68% on time, 1.4% cancelledJun 2025: 71% on time, 2.3% cancelledJul 2025: 64% on time, 2.6% cancelledAug 2025: 71% on time, 0.7% cancelledSep 2025: 81% on time, 0.4% cancelledOct 2025: 84% on time, 0.3% cancelledNov 2025: 80% on time, 1.5% cancelledDec 2025: 82% on time, 0.3% cancelledJan 2026: 82% on time, 1.8% cancelledFeb 2026: 81% on time, 1.3% cancelledMar 2026: 67% on time, 2.9% cancelledApr 2026: 79% on time, 1.0% cancelledMay 2026: 77% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2026: 74% on time, 0.7% cancelledJul 2026: 68% on time, 2.4% cancelledAug 2026: 75% on time, 2.8% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
IAH → MIA, monthly on-time and cancellation rate.

Flight numbers on this route

Regular flights with at least 120 scheduled trips in the past year. Sorted by departure time.

FlightDepartsFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrivalOperated by
AA 21445:30 a.m.21090%1.9%−13 minAmerican Airlines
AA 10475:35 a.m.15591%0.0%−11 minAmerican Airlines
UA 19667:25 a.m.16389%0.6%−12 minUnited Airlines
AA 13477:30 a.m.36188%0.5%−10 minAmerican Airlines
UA 41012:00 p.m.25780%0.4%−8 minUnited Airlines
UA 18297:01 p.m.15478%0.0%−6 minUnited Airlines
F9 10688:37 p.m.15763%7.6%−6 minFrontier Airlines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Apr 7, 202690%0
Mar 16, 2026119%4
May 23, 20261010%0
Mar 15, 20261225%2
May 2, 2026825%0

Nearby airport alternatives

Other ways to make the same trip, using airports within 60 miles of Houston or Miami. None has been clearly more reliable than IAH → MIA.

RouteFlightsOn timeCancelled
IAH → MIA (this route)3,66577%1.3%
IAH → FLL Houston Bush Intercontinental to Fort Lauderdale2,92377%1.3%
HOU → FLL Houston Hobby to Fort Lauderdale81064%0.4%

Questions

How often are flights from IAH to MIA on time?

77% of 3,665 scheduled flights from Houston, TX to Miami, FL arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 1.3% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly IAH to MIA?

Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. were the most reliable (90% on time). The 8 p.m. departures were the least (58%).

Which airline is most on time from IAH to MIA?

United Airlines: 82% of its 1,438 flights on the route arrived on time. American Airlines: 78%. Spirit Airlines: 66%. Frontier Airlines: 65%.

What month has the most delays from IAH to MIA?

July (62% on time). The best month is October (82%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from IAH to MIA more likely to be cancelled?

Yes. Each airline's last IAH–MIA flight of the day was cancelled 1.1% of the time over the past year, against 0.8% for its earlier flights. If the last flight is cancelled, the next one is usually the following morning.

Related

Domestic flights by the airlines that report to the U.S. DOT, plus their regional partners. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes after schedule; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Past performance is a guide, not a forecast. Method.