HOU to ATL flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from William P. Hobby Airport to Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport · 696 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at HOU or ATL right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Houston (HOU) to Atlanta (ATL) arrived on time 80% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 1.2% were cancelled, and 7% arrived an hour or more late.
- Delta Air Lines was the most punctual airline here (85% on time); Southwest Airlines was the least (75%).
- Departures scheduled around 5am did best (93% on time); around 7pm did worst (61%).
- Thursday was the most reliable day to fly (82% on time) and Sunday the least (76%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (45%).
Which airline is most on time from HOU to ATL?
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 | 85% | 1.9% | 15 min | 6.5% | 1,397 |
| Southwest Airlines | 75% | 0.6% | 14 min | 6.6% | 1,485 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am93%101 flights
- 6am90%332 flights
- 7am94%71 flights
- 8am87%52 flights
- 9am87%69 flights
- 10am86%436 flights
- 11am88%210 flights
- 12pm78%105 flights
- 1pm83%229 flights
- 2pm76%239 flights
- 3pm70%81 flights
- 4pm77%82 flights
- 5pm69%352 flights
- 6pm78%279 flights
- 7pm61%123 flights
- 8pm51%86 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday80%0.9% cancelled
- Tuesday80%0.5% cancelled
- Wednesday82%0.2% cancelled
- Thursday82%0.2% cancelled
- Friday80%1.1% cancelled
- Saturday79%2.3% cancelled
- Sunday76%3.5% 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)45%
- Late-arriving aircraft40%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion13%
- Extreme weather2%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)69%
- Extreme weather28%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion3%
- Security0%
HOU to ATL: common questions
- How often are HOU to ATL flights on time?
- 80% 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 Houston to Atlanta cancelled?
- 1.2% of scheduled flights were cancelled (36 of 2,882).
- 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 67 min behind schedule on average, and 6.6% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at HOU?
- Flights on this route spent 14 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: ATL to HOU — 81% on time
More flights from Houston
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: HOU → ATL, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.