DEN to HOU flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Denver International Airport to William P. Hobby Airport · 883 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DEN or HOU right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Denver (DEN) to Houston (HOU) arrived on time 75% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.4% were cancelled, and 7% arrived an hour or more late.
- Southwest Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (97% on time); around 7pm did worst (47%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (80% on time) and Friday the least (69%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (50%).
Which airline is most on time from DEN 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 75% | 0.4% | 15 min | 7.3% | 2,361 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am95%161 flights
- 6am97%219 flights
- 7am91%213 flights
- 8am94%72 flights
- 9am84%130 flights
- 10am82%160 flights
- 11am78%109 flights
- 12pm74%110 flights
- 1pm78%171 flights
- 2pm69%88 flights
- 3pm64%42 flights
- 4pm67%139 flights
- 5pm61%166 flights
- 6pm61%168 flights
- 7pm47%191 flights
- 8pm56%195 flights
- 9pm65%26 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday76%0.3% cancelled
- Tuesday80%0.6% cancelled
- Wednesday76%0.6% cancelled
- Thursday72%0.0% cancelled
- Friday69%0.5% cancelled
- Saturday77%0.7% cancelled
- Sunday77%0.0% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Late-arriving aircraft50%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)37%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion12%
- Extreme weather1%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Air traffic control & airport congestion56%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)22%
- Extreme weather22%
- Security0%
DEN to HOU: common questions
- How often are DEN to HOU flights on time?
- 75% 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 Denver to Houston cancelled?
- 0.4% of scheduled flights were cancelled (9 of 2,361).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 15 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 55 min behind schedule on average, and 7.3% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DEN?
- Flights on this route spent 16 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: HOU to DEN — 78% on time
More flights from Denver
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: DEN → HOU, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.