HOU to LAX flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from William P. Hobby Airport to Los Angeles International Airport · 1,390 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at HOU or LAX 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 Los Angeles (LAX) arrived on time 74% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.1% were cancelled, and 5% arrived an hour or more late.
- Southwest Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (98% on time); around 7pm did worst (49%).
- Friday was the most reliable day to fly (79% on time) and Sunday the least (69%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (51%).
Which airline is most on time from HOU to LAX?
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 | 74% | 0.1% | 13 min | 5.0% | 1,195 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am96%71 flights
- 6am98%55 flights
- 7am87%89 flights
- 8am94%119 flights
- 9am85%48 flights
- 11am69%26 flights
- 12pm84%25 flights
- 1pm75%52 flights
- 2pm50%106 flights
- 3pm87%79 flights
- 4pm70%40 flights
- 5pm70%33 flights
- 6pm76%21 flights
- 7pm49%75 flights
- 8pm72%82 flights
- 9pm69%127 flights
- 10pm58%144 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday70%0.0% cancelled
- Tuesday78%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday76%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday72%0.6% cancelled
- Friday79%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday76%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday69%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 aircraft51%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)35%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion11%
- Extreme weather2%
- Security1%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)100%
- Extreme weather0%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
HOU to LAX: common questions
- How often are HOU to LAX flights on time?
- 74% 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 Los Angeles cancelled?
- 0.1% of scheduled flights were cancelled (1 of 1,195).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 13 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 44 min behind schedule on average, and 5.0% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at HOU?
- Flights on this route spent 13 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: LAX to HOU — 71% 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 → LAX, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.