ON TIMEBOARD

CMH → IAH on time

John Glenn Columbus (Columbus, OH) to Houston Bush Intercontinental (Houston, TX). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
80%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
1.2%
991 flights
Typical arrival
−11 min
median vs schedule
When late
+82 min
average delay
Flights / day
3
1 airline

80% of flights from Columbus to Houston arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is about the typical U.S. route. The 11 a.m. departures ran on time 84% of the time; the 5 p.m. ones 73%. 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 CMH → IAH: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 54% of the time. About 1 in 15 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 58 three hours or more; 1.2% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 991 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
United Airlines99180%1.2%−11 min6.9%+82 minUnited Airlines 53%, Mesa Airlines 46%, SkyWest 1%, 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 CMH). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%6 a.m. departures: 83% on time (363 flights)836a7 a.m. departures: too few flights7a8 a.m. departures: too few flights8a9 a.m. departures: too few flights9a10 a.m. departures: too few flights10a11 a.m. departures: 84% on time (269 flights)8411anoon departures: too few flights12p1 p.m. departures: too few flights1p2 p.m. departures: too few flights2p3 p.m. departures: too few flights3p4 p.m. departures: 75% on time (208 flights)754p5 p.m. departures: 73% on time (151 flights)735p
CMH → 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

Last flight of the day

On CMH → IAH, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 1.1% of the time, against 1.3% for its earlier flights, about the same. It arrived 3+ hours late 2.2% 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
United Airlines5:01 p.m.1.1%2.2%1.3%first flight 6:30 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: October (86%). Worst: June (68%).

40%70%100%Jan: 74% on time (200 flights)74JanFeb: 83% on time (183 flights)83FebMar: 84% on time (207 flights)84MarApr: 85% on time (227 flights)85AprMay: 70% on time (250 flights)70MayJun: 68% on time (257 flights)68JunJul: 69% on time (258 flights)69JulAug: 81% on time (249 flights)81AugSep: 86% on time (218 flights)86SepOct: 86% on time (234 flights)86OctNov: 80% on time (219 flights)80NovDec: 76% on time (206 flights)76Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday15579%0.0%
Tuesday13183%2.3%
Wednesday14385%0.0%
Thursday15286%0.7%
Friday15277%2.0%
Saturday10972%0.0%
Sunday14976%3.4%

Why flights were late

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

Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 34%Late inbound plane 30%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 27%Severe weather 9%

Cancellations: weather 8 · airline 3 · air traffic/airport 1

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 22056:30 a.m.35583%1.4%−15 minUnited Airlines
UA 406511:43 a.m.15079%0.7%−10 minMesa Airlines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
May 1, 202630%1
Mar 16, 202630%0
Dec 14, 202530%1
Jun 15, 202630%0
Dec 1, 202530%0

Questions

How often are flights from CMH to IAH on time?

80% of 991 scheduled flights from Columbus, OH to Houston, TX arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 1.2% were cancelled.

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

Flights scheduled to leave at 11 a.m. were the most reliable (84% on time). The 5 p.m. departures were the least (73%).

What month has the most delays from CMH to IAH?

June (68% on time). The best month is October (86%), over 2023–2026.

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

Not much. Each airline's last CMH–IAH flight of the day was cancelled 1.1% of the time over the past year, against 1.3% 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.