ON TIMEBOARD

IAH → XNA on time

Houston Bush Intercontinental (Houston, TX) to Northwest Arkansas National (Fayetteville, AR). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
80%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
1.3%
1,401 flights
Typical arrival
−8 min
median vs schedule
When late
+72 min
average delay
Flights / day
4
1 airline

80% of flights from Houston to Fayetteville arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is about the typical U.S. route. The 2 p.m. departures ran on time 85% of the time; the 6 p.m. ones 72%. 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 IAH → XNA: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 51% of the time. About 1 in 15 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 82 three hours or more; 1.3% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 1,401 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
United Airlines1,40180%1.3%−8 min6.6%+72 minMesa Airlines 59%, CommutAir 22%, SkyWest 13%, GoJet 5%, United Airlines 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 IAH). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%9 a.m. departures: 80% on time (364 flights)809a10 a.m. departures: too few flights10a11 a.m. departures: too few flights11anoon departures: too few flights12p1 p.m. departures: too few flights1p2 p.m. departures: 85% on time (353 flights)852p3 p.m. departures: too few flights3p4 p.m. departures: 80% on time (216 flights)804p5 p.m. departures: too few flights5p6 p.m. departures: 72% on time (127 flights)726p7 p.m. departures: too few flights (19 flights)7p8 p.m. departures: 78% on time (320 flights)788p
IAH → XNA, 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 → XNA, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 1.1% of the time, against 1.4% for its earlier flights, about the same. It arrived 3+ hours late 1.4% of the time (earlier flights: 1.2%). 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 Airlines8:12 p.m.1.1%1.4%1.4%first flight 9:35 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: September (87%). Worst: June (67%).

40%70%100%Jan: 80% on time (300 flights)80JanFeb: 84% on time (284 flights)84FebMar: 77% on time (308 flights)77MarApr: 83% on time (351 flights)83AprMay: 70% on time (353 flights)70MayJun: 67% on time (381 flights)67JunJul: 72% on time (382 flights)72JulAug: 82% on time (375 flights)82AugSep: 87% on time (334 flights)87SepOct: 84% on time (375 flights)84OctNov: 82% on time (373 flights)82NovDec: 83% on time (289 flights)83Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday21577%0.5%
Tuesday19586%1.0%
Wednesday19586%0.5%
Thursday20878%0.0%
Friday19976%1.5%
Saturday17879%4.5%
Sunday21179%1.4%

Why flights were late

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

Late inbound plane 48%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 38%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 11%Severe weather 3%

Cancellations: weather 15 · air traffic/airport 3

Month by month

50%75%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Apr 2024: 80% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2024: 63% on time, 9.1% cancelledJun 2024: 73% on time, 1.4% cancelledJul 2024: 61% on time, 9.2% cancelledAug 2024: 89% on time, 0.0% cancelledSep 2024: 88% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2024: 86% on time, 0.7% cancelledNov 2024: 86% on time, 0.7% cancelledApr 2025: 85% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2025: 73% on time, 2.4% cancelledJun 2025: 55% on time, 6.6% cancelledJul 2025: 76% on time, 3.4% cancelledAug 2025: 76% on time, 0.0% cancelledSep 2025: 89% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2025: 83% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2025: 76% on time, 2.1% cancelledDec 2025: 81% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2026: 82% on time, 5.9% cancelledFeb 2026: 87% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2026: 75% on time, 4.2% cancelledApr 2026: 83% on time, 0.8% cancelledMay 2026: 73% on time, 0.8% cancelledJun 2026: 72% on time, 0.9% cancelledJul 2026: 82% on time, 0.0% cancelledAug 2026: 80% on time, 0.0% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
IAH → XNA, 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
UA 40622:32 p.m.21386%0.5%−10 minMesa Airlines
UA 63088:12 p.m.31978%1.6%−6 minMesa Airlines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Jul 13, 202640%0
Apr 4, 202640%1
Mar 16, 202640%1
May 19, 202640%0
Aug 28, 202640%0

Questions

How often are flights from IAH to XNA on time?

80% of 1,401 scheduled flights from Houston, TX to Fayetteville, AR 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 XNA?

Flights scheduled to leave at 2 p.m. were the most reliable (85% on time). The 6 p.m. departures were the least (72%).

What month has the most delays from IAH to XNA?

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

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

Not much. Each airline's last IAH–XNA flight of the day was cancelled 1.1% 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.