ON TIMEBOARD

SDF → IAH on time

Louisville Muhammad Ali (Louisville, KY) to Houston Bush Intercontinental (Houston, TX). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
83%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
1.0%
1,076 flights
Typical arrival
−15 min
median vs schedule
When late
+87 min
average delay
Flights / day
3
2 airlines

83% of flights from Louisville to Houston arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is better than the typical U.S. route. The 6 a.m. departures ran on time 88% of the time; the 3 p.m. ones 77%. 8% 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 SDF → IAH: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 49% of the time. About 1 in 15 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 47 three hours or more; 1.0% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 1,076 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
United Airlines1,07583%1.0%−15 min6.7%+87 minMesa Airlines 100%, United Airlines 0%, Republic Airways 0%
American Airlines1—————American 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 SDF). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%6 a.m. departures: 88% on time (233 flights)886a7 a.m. departures: 86% on time (129 flights)867a8 a.m. departures: too few flights (3 flights)8a9 a.m. departures: 87% on time (348 flights)879a10 a.m. departures: too few flights10a11 a.m. departures: too few flights (3 flights)11anoon departures: too few flights (1 flights)12p1 p.m. departures: too few flights (1 flights)1p2 p.m. departures: too few flights2p3 p.m. departures: 77% on time (357 flights)773p
SDF → IAH, 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

DepartsUnited Airlines
6 a.m.88%
7 a.m.86%
9 a.m.87%
3 p.m.77%

Last flight of the day

On SDF → IAH, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.3% of the time, against 1.4% for its earlier flights, so here the last flight is actually the safer one. It arrived 3+ hours late 3.0% of the time (earlier flights: 1.7%). 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 Airlines3:41 p.m.0.3%3.0%1.4%first flight 6:15 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.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: August (87%). Worst: January (67%).

40%70%100%Jan: 67% on time (259 flights)67JanFeb: 81% on time (242 flights)81FebMar: 80% on time (267 flights)80MarApr: 86% on time (262 flights)86AprMay: 69% on time (284 flights)69MayJun: 70% on time (264 flights)70JunJul: 71% on time (269 flights)71JulAug: 87% on time (273 flights)87AugSep: 81% on time (264 flights)81SepOct: 83% on time (269 flights)83OctNov: 83% on time (261 flights)83NovDec: 78% on time (264 flights)78Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday15978%1.3%
Tuesday15388%0.0%
Wednesday15585%1.3%
Thursday15385%1.3%
Friday15686%0.0%
Saturday14384%0.0%
Sunday15779%3.2%

Why flights were late

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

Late inbound plane 41%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 35%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 22%Severe weather 2%

Cancellations: weather 7 · air traffic/airport 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 62666:00 a.m.36287%1.1%−15 minMesa Airlines
UA 63269:15 a.m.28286%1.1%−17 minMesa Airlines
UA 63103:30 p.m.33977%0.3%−11 minMesa Airlines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Nov 30, 202530%0
May 1, 202630%0
Jun 20, 202630%0
May 6, 202630%0
Dec 2, 202530%0

Questions

How often are flights from SDF to IAH on time?

83% of 1,076 scheduled flights from Louisville, KY to Houston, TX arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 1.0% were cancelled.

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

Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. were the most reliable (88% on time). The 3 p.m. departures were the least (77%).

What month has the most delays from SDF to IAH?

January (67% on time). The best month is August (87%), over 2023–2026.

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

No, the opposite. Each airline's last SDF–IAH flight of the day was cancelled 0.3% of the time over the past year, against 1.4% 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.