ATL to HOU flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport to William P. Hobby Airport · 696 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at ATL or HOU right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Atlanta (ATL) to Houston (HOU) arrived on time 81% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 1.3% were cancelled, and 6% arrived an hour or more late.
- Delta Air Lines was the most punctual airline here (81% on time); Southwest Airlines was the least (80%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (93% on time); around 8pm did worst (58%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (84% on time) and Friday the least (77%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (43%).
Which airline is most on time from ATL to HOU?
Ranked by on-time arrival rate. Regional airlines fly under their partner's brand (e.g. SkyWest for Delta Connection or United Express).
| Airline | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay | 1 hr+ late | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 81% | 1.9% | 12 min | 5.9% | 1,397 |
| Southwest Airlines | 80% | 0.7% | 12 min | 6.1% | 1,482 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am93%290 flights
- 7am97%35 flights
- 8am89%380 flights
- 9am86%142 flights
- 11am89%269 flights
- 12pm83%214 flights
- 1pm90%125 flights
- 2pm83%156 flights
- 3pm77%195 flights
- 4pm77%239 flights
- 5pm64%42 flights
- 6pm68%195 flights
- 7pm58%91 flights
- 8pm58%119 flights
- 9pm76%314 flights
- 10pm44%54 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday80%1.6% cancelled
- Tuesday83%0.5% cancelled
- Wednesday84%0.2% cancelled
- Thursday81%0.5% cancelled
- Friday77%1.4% cancelled
- Saturday79%1.7% cancelled
- Sunday78%3.3% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)43%
- Late-arriving aircraft37%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion17%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)71%
- Extreme weather24%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion5%
- Security0%
ATL to HOU: common questions
- How often are ATL to HOU flights on time?
- 81% of flights arrived less than 15 minutes late in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, compared with 78% for all US flights.
- How often are flights from Atlanta to Houston cancelled?
- 1.3% of scheduled flights were cancelled (38 of 2,879).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 12 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 57 min behind schedule on average, and 6.0% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at ATL?
- Flights on this route spent 15 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: HOU to ATL — 80% on time
More flights from Atlanta
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: ATL → HOU, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.