ON TIMEBOARD

IAH → RIC on time

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

On time
81%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
0.6%
708 flights
Typical arrival
−6 min
median vs schedule
When late
+68 min
average delay
Flights / day
2
1 airline

81% of flights from Houston to Richmond arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is about the typical U.S. route. The noon departures ran on time 86% of the time; the 6 p.m. ones 75%. 7% 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 → RIC: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 54% of the time. About 1 in 16 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 79 three hours or more; 0.6% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 708 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
United Airlines70881%0.6%−6 min6.4%+68 minMesa Airlines 86%, United Airlines 11%, SkyWest 3%, Republic Airways 0%

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%11 a.m. departures: too few flights (99 flights)11anoon departures: 86% on time (264 flights)8612p1 p.m. departures: too few flights1p2 p.m. departures: too few flights2p3 p.m. departures: too few flights3p4 p.m. departures: too few flights4p5 p.m. departures: too few flights5p6 p.m. departures: 75% on time (343 flights)756p
IAH → RIC, 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

Last flight of the day

On IAH → RIC, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.6% of the time, against 0.3% for its earlier flights (2.0× as often). It arrived 3+ hours late 1.8% of the time (earlier flights: 0.9%). 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
United Airlines6:50 p.m.0.6%1.8%0.3%first flight 12:03 p.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 RIC tonight, book an earlier flight so there's a backup if it's cancelled.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: September (90%). Worst: June (66%).

40%70%100%Jan: 75% on time (114 flights)75JanFeb: 80% on time (109 flights)80FebMar: 77% on time (124 flights)77MarApr: 86% on time (120 flights)86AprMay: 75% on time (134 flights)75MayJun: 66% on time (150 flights)66JunJul: 72% on time (153 flights)72JulAug: 80% on time (153 flights)80AugSep: 90% on time (116 flights)90SepOct: 85% on time (124 flights)85OctNov: 81% on time (119 flights)81NovDec: 77% on time (122 flights)77Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday10681%0.0%
Tuesday98——
Wednesday99——
Thursday10279%0.0%
Friday10479%1.0%
Saturday96——
Sunday10384%1.9%

Why flights were late

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

Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 44%Late inbound plane 36%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 15%Severe weather 5%

Cancellations: weather 4

Month by month

Not enough months with data to draw a trend.

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
UA 405712:03 p.m.23486%0.9%−11 minMesa Airlines

Questions

How often are flights from IAH to RIC on time?

81% of 708 scheduled flights from Houston, TX to Richmond, VA arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 0.6% were cancelled.

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

Flights scheduled to leave at noon were the most reliable (86% on time). The 6 p.m. departures were the least (75%).

What month has the most delays from IAH to RIC?

June (66% on time). The best month is September (90%), over 2023–2026.

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

Yes. Each airline's last IAH–RIC flight of the day was cancelled 0.6% of the time over the past year, against 0.3% 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.