Route profile
IAH→DFW
Flight reliability, delays and best times to fly from Houston to Dallas–Fort Worth, 224 miles.
Right now
Aviation weather is not currently a factor.
Aviation weather is not currently a factor.
Route reliability
July 2023 – July 2026
Better than 5% of comparable major US routes (4,598 compared)
Calculated from 16,944 flights. How this is calculated
IAH → DFW arrives on time 73.2% of the time; the return trip, DFW → IAH, arrives on time 71.3% of the time, a 2.0-point gap between the two directions of the same city pair.
IAH → DFW spends 34.4 minutes on the ground on a 224-mile trip: 20.4 minutes from pushback to wheels-up at IAH and 14.1 minutes from touchdown to gate at DFW.
Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics · Data covering July 2023 – July 2026
What stands out
The airline matters unusually much on this route, a wider carrier-to-carrier gap than 99% of 2,692 comparable routes.
Envoy Air arrived on time 78.8% of the time, against 52.6% for Frontier Airlines, flying the exact same route.
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026 · Ranked against every other route with the same kind of figure and at least 2,692 in the comparison.
Why IAH → DFW flights are cancelled
July 2023 – July 2026
IAH → DFW cancelled 458 of 16,944 scheduled flights — about 1 in every 37. The reason filed most often was extreme weather, 81.2% of the cancellations coded on this route — about 1 in every 46 scheduled flights.
Share of cancellations
Of 458 cancelled departures carrying a reason code.
What each reason means
Conditions the carrier judged severe enough to stop the flight: a blizzard, a hurricane, a line of thunderstorms.
372 cancellations, 81.2% of the total.
Airport capacity, air traffic control flow programs, heavy traffic and ordinary bad weather. A system decision, not the airline’s.
46 cancellations, 10.0% of the total.
Crew, maintenance, aircraft cleaning, baggage or fueling: what BTS counts as within the carrier’s own control.
40 cancellations, 8.7% of the total.
A terminal evacuation, a security breach, screening equipment failure, or screening queues over 29 minutes.
0 cancellations, 0.0% of the total.
Reason codes are the operating airline’s own filing with US DOT, not an independent finding of fault. Ordinary bad weather is filed under air traffic, so weather’s full share is larger than its bar.
458 coded cancellations were recorded on IAH → DFW; the section appears from 50.
When it goes wrong
July 2023 – July 2026
71 min late
against a median of 3 min early
IAH → DFW has an average that understates its risk: a typical arrival is 3 min early, but the worst tenth are 74 minutes worse than that. If the trip has something unmissable at the end of it, the median is the wrong number to plan against.
Percentiles over 16,944 operations; cancelled and diverted flights are counted separately.
Will your connection be tight enough?
Layovers at DFW after arriving from IAH.
| Connection time | Chance of missing | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| 30 min | 43% | Likely to miss |
| 45 min | 26% | High risk |
| 60 min | 18% | High risk |
| 90 min | 11% | Some risk |
| 120 min | 8.0% | Some risk |
This is one leg of a connection. Gate changes and the next flight's own schedule matter too. And a connection can fail before delay is even the question — this route cancels 2.70% of the time and diverts 0.17% of the time, which a late arrival never shows up in.
Chance of missing is the share of 16,458 arrivals on this route that landed later than the connection time less 30 minutes to reach the next gate.
The worst tenth of arrivals on this route land at least 71 minutes late (90th-percentile gate arrival delay), over 16,944 operations.
Any other layover length: connection checker.
Best time to fly
IAH → DFW flights departing 5–9 AM arrived on time 80.7% of the time, against 61.0% for 6–9 PM departures, a gap of 19.7 percentage points.
By day and hour
On-time arrival rate for each weekday and scheduled departure hour, in local time at the departure airport (IAH).
Hour of departure matters more than day of the week: hourly averages sit a typical 8.5 points from the route-wide rate, weekday averages 1.9 points.
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On-time rate, % · stronger color, fewer on time
- 50–59
- 60–69
- 70–79
- 80–89
- 90–99
- Fewer than 120 flights, not scored
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026 · On time is arrival within 15 minutes of schedule. Cells round to whole percentages; the table shows one decimal.
No slot is named best or worst: too few reach 500 flights. Departures after 9 PM (725 flights) are not drawn: no slot in those hours has enough flights to score.
View as tableHide table
| Hour | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 AM–6 AM | 84.1% on time163 flights | 91.1% on time140 flights | 88.5% on time132 flights | 91.0% on time160 flights | 91.7% on time162 flights | 85.4% on time147 flights | 90.8% on time144 flights |
| 6 AM–7 AM | 80.8% on time160 flights | 82.1% on time157 flights | 86.9% on time158 flights | 85.9% on time160 flights | 85.2% on time160 flights | 84.8% on time163 flights | 84.8% on time164 flights |
| 7 AM–8 AM | 75.6% on time256 flights | 79.3% on time247 flights | 71.0% on time262 flights | 76.8% on time269 flights | 68.6% on time258 flights | 69.2% on time218 flights | 77.4% on time219 flights |
| 8 AM–9 AM | 90 flights, too few to score | 82 flights, too few to score | 76 flights, too few to score | 92 flights, too few to score | 85 flights, too few to score | 95 flights, too few to score | 100 flights, too few to score |
| 9 AM–10 AM | 71.9% on time171 flights | 78.7% on time168 flights | 76.3% on time178 flights | 81.6% on time154 flights | 84.3% on time178 flights | 73.5% on time133 flights | 82.7% on time143 flights |
| 10 AM–11 AM | 77.0% on time153 flights | 85.6% on time152 flights | 81.9% on time158 flights | 81.1% on time156 flights | 79.4% on time163 flights | 74.3% on time141 flights | 82.2% on time147 flights |
| 11 AM–12 PM | 51 flights, too few to score | 52 flights, too few to score | 50 flights, too few to score | 48 flights, too few to score | 49 flights, too few to score | 52 flights, too few to score | 48 flights, too few to score |
| 12 PM–1 PM | 75.1% on time174 flights | 78.4% on time189 flights | 81.3% on time186 flights | 75.1% on time190 flights | 73.5% on time173 flights | 78.1% on time157 flights | 71.7% on time192 flights |
| 1 PM–2 PM | 8 flights, too few to score | 13 flights, too few to score | 9 flights, too few to score | 13 flights, too few to score | 10 flights, too few to score | 10 flights, too few to score | 13 flights, too few to score |
| 2 PM–3 PM | 72.1% on time300 flights | 76.1% on time306 flights | 75.8% on time304 flights | 72.0% on time294 flights | 71.7% on time288 flights | 77.2% on time264 flights | 73.7% on time272 flights |
| 3 PM–4 PM | 12 flights, too few to score | 15 flights, too few to score | 11 flights, too few to score | 13 flights, too few to score | 10 flights, too few to score | 21 flights, too few to score | 21 flights, too few to score |
| 4 PM–5 PM | 65.8% on time285 flights | 67.9% on time278 flights | 66.7% on time281 flights | 64.3% on time279 flights | 67.4% on time285 flights | 77.0% on time262 flights | 65.3% on time277 flights |
| 5 PM–6 PM | 25 flights, too few to score | 26 flights, too few to score | 28 flights, too few to score | 27 flights, too few to score | 26 flights, too few to score | 51 flights, too few to score | 27 flights, too few to score |
| 6 PM–7 PM | 54.7% on time259 flights | 60.2% on time250 flights | 63.3% on time256 flights | 59.6% on time254 flights | 62.7% on time260 flights | 69.3% on time239 flights | 51.6% on time257 flights |
| 7 PM–8 PM | 86 flights, too few to score | 43 flights, too few to score | 58 flights, too few to score | 98 flights, too few to score | 76 flights, too few to score | 54 flights, too few to score | 104 flights, too few to score |
| 8 PM–9 PM | 61.7% on time186 flights | 71.2% on time158 flights | 73.2% on time168 flights | 60.2% on time191 flights | 61.6% on time185 flights | 72.1% on time157 flights | 55.6% on time191 flights |
By departure window
By departure hour
- 12 AM to 4 AM: too few flights to score
- 5 AM: 88.9% on time from 1,048 flights
- 6 AM: 84.4% on time from 1,122 flights
- 7 AM: 74.0% on time from 1,729 flights
- 8 AM: 79.4% on time from 620 flights
- 9 AM: 78.4% on time from 1,125 flights
- 10 AM: 80.3% on time from 1,070 flights
- 11 AM: 81.0% on time from 350 flights
- 12 PM: 76.2% on time from 1,261 flights
- 1 PM: too few flights to score
- 2 PM: 74.1% on time from 2,028 flights
- 3 PM: too few flights to score
- 4 PM: 67.7% on time from 1,947 flights
- 5 PM: 59.5% on time from 210 flights
- 6 PM: 60.1% on time from 1,775 flights
- 7 PM: 55.4% on time from 519 flights
- 8 PM: 64.6% on time from 1,236 flights
- 9 PM: 73.6% on time from 565 flights
- 10 PM: 78.9% on time from 144 flights
- 11 PM: too few flights to score
Why IAH → DFW runs late
July 2023 – July 2026
the inbound aircraft was late, so this flight started late
crew, maintenance, boarding and fueling, all within the carrier’s control
airspace and airport capacity, including weather-driven flow control
weather severe enough to stop this flight specifically
screening or terminal security incidents
Share of the delay minutes US DOT attributed to each cause for IAH → DFW. Only delays of 15 minutes or more are attributed.
Late-arriving aircraft is the largest cause on IAH → DFW, at 45.0%: flights here mostly leave late because the plane came in late, and the day shows it: 5–9 AM departures arrived on time 80.7% of the time and 6–9 PM departures 61.0%.
How this route holds up in bad weather
July 2023 – July 2026
The harder-hit end is DFW, where the flight lands. Its figure counts departures from DFW, so it says more about how that airport copes than about this route. Bad weather cancels 7.0 times the normal rate at DFW against 3.4 times at IAH. Cancelled in bad weather against normal hours: IAH 4.1% against 1.2%, DFW 10.4% against 1.5%. Flights that did leave DFW in bad weather arrived on time 56.4% of the time, against 74.4% in normal hours.
Bad weather and normal hours at the airports
Scheduled departures, July 2023 – July 2026| Departures from | IAH | DFW |
|---|---|---|
| Cancelled in bad weather | 4.1% | 10.4% |
| Cancelled in normal hours | 1.2% | 1.5% |
| Arrived on time, bad weather | 63.8% | 56.4% |
| Arrived on time, normal hours | 78.6% | 74.4% |
| Departures in bad weather | 28,922 | 72,822 |
Of the carriers on this route, United Airlines (3.4% cancelled against 5.2% for the other carriers at IAH) cancelled the fewest departures from IAH in bad weather and SkyWest Airlines (8.0% cancelled against 4.0% for the other carriers at IAH) the most. One more carrier flies this route but has too few bad-weather departures from IAH to compare.
This route’s airlines in bad weather at IAH
All departures from IAH| Airline | Bad-weather departures | Cancelled | Other carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 17,078 | 3.4%below the others | 5.2% |
| American Airlines | 2,079 | 4.6%about level | 3.9% |
| Frontier Airlines | 915 | 5.0%above the others | 3.8% |
| SkyWest Airlines | 3,151 | 8.0%above the others | 4.0% |
These are airport figures, not route figures: every scheduled departure from IAH and DFW, to any destination, in hours the weather report called bad. The airline rows count each carrier’s departures from IAH on every route.
Weather source and limits. In full: IAH (airlines), DFW, What Weather Costs Each Airport, Who Cancels More When the Weather Turns, Airports That Change Places When Weather Turns.
Airlines on this route
Carriers with at least 200 flights, by the airline that operated each one.
| Carrier | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Median delay | Severe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 7,631 | 73.4% | 3.34% | -4 min | 12.8% |
| United Airlines | 5,620 | 71.8% | 1.51% | -2 min | 11.4% |
| Envoy Air | 2,717 | 78.8% | 3.35% | -8 min | 8.4% |
| Frontier Airlines | 532 | 52.6% | 2.82% | 12 min | 17.4% |
| SkyWest Airlines | 236 | 74.7% | 4.24% | -6 min | 9.3% |
American Airlines flew 45.6% of the 16,736 flights listed. SkyWest Airlines cancelled 4.24% of its flights here against 1.51% for United Airlines.
Envoy Air arrived on time 26.2 percentage points more often than Frontier Airlines on this route.
Other ways to fly Houston to Dallas–Fort Worth
Airport pairs in the same two city markets, as the DOT defines them.
| Route | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Median delay | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IAH→DFW this route Houston to Dallas–Fort Worth | 16,944 | 73.2% | 2.70% | -3 min | 41 |
| HOU→DAL Houston to Dallas | 12,672 | 81.3% | 2.07% | -8 min | 68 |
HOU → DAL is the most reliable pairing for this journey at 81.3% on time, against 73.2% for IAH → DFW.
Flying to DFW from the Houston area? Compare IAH, HOU for DFW, with the same test for what counts as a real difference.
Flights on this route
Flight numbers with at least 600 operations here and still on the schedule.
Weekly and seasonal patterns
By day of week
Tuesday is historically the most reliable day and Monday the least, a gap of 4.8 percentage points.
By month
- Jan: 77.3%
- Feb: 82.3%
- Mar: 76.0%
- Apr: 72.8%
- May: 63.9%
- Jun: 62.5%
- Jul: 67.9%
- Aug: 71.5%
- Sep: 77.5%
- Oct: 76.6%
- Nov: 77.1%
- Dec: 76.0%
June is historically the weakest month and February the strongest, a spread of 19.8 percentage points.
Reliability over time
July 2023 – July 2026
- July 2023: 72.1% from 441 flights
- August 2023: 77.6% from 458 flights
- September 2023: 71.6% from 427 flights
- October 2023: 65.5% from 440 flights
- November 2023: 74.5% from 373 flights
- December 2023: 77.9% from 348 flights
- January 2024: 68.1% from 367 flights
- February 2024: 81.0% from 368 flights
- March 2024: 72.1% from 419 flights
- April 2024: 71.8% from 406 flights
- May 2024: 48.9% from 460 flights
- June 2024: 61.6% from 440 flights
- July 2024: 56.7% from 425 flights
- August 2024: 72.9% from 454 flights
- September 2024: 79.5% from 478 flights
- October 2024: 82.0% from 511 flights
- November 2024: 83.8% from 469 flights
- December 2024: 75.4% from 466 flights
- January 2025: 78.9% from 508 flights
- February 2025: 80.6% from 456 flights
- March 2025: 75.3% from 513 flights
- April 2025: 71.8% from 496 flights
- May 2025: 69.0% from 502 flights
- June 2025: 61.3% from 458 flights
- July 2025: 68.7% from 457 flights
- August 2025: 64.0% from 465 flights
- September 2025: 80.6% from 498 flights
- October 2025: 80.6% from 503 flights
- November 2025: 72.3% from 475 flights
- December 2025: 75.1% from 499 flights
- January 2026: 83.0% from 475 flights
- February 2026: 85.4% from 413 flights
- March 2026: 80.0% from 488 flights
- April 2026: 74.6% from 524 flights
- May 2026: 71.4% from 518 flights
- June 2026: 64.6% from 464 flights
- July 2026: 72.6% from 482 flights
Over the most recent 12 months (2025-08 to 2026-07), on-time arrivals averaged 75.3% against 75.0% in the 12 months before — broadly unchanged.
Data and methodology
Calculated by FlyerIntel from 16,944 IAH → DFW flight records from the US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, covering July 2023 – July 2026. Late means 15 or more minutes past scheduled arrival; cancelled and diverted flights are left out of on-time rates.
Full methodology · Data sources · Report a problem
Related research: How Long a Layover Needs to Be · Two Airlines on One Route · Best Time of Day to Fly From Major US Airports
Analysis last recomputed