HOU to MEM flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from William P. Hobby Airport to Frederick W. Smith International Airport · 484 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at HOU or MEM 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 Memphis (MEM) arrived on time 74% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1.3% 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 9am did best (97% on time); around 2pm did worst (58%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (78% on time) and Thursday the least (72%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (53%).
Which airline is most on time from HOU to MEM?
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% | 1.3% | 13 min | 5.4% | 830 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 9am97%34 flights
- 10am82%176 flights
- 11am91%81 flights
- 12pm93%28 flights
- 2pm58%97 flights
- 3pm73%48 flights
- 5pm47%17 flights
- 6pm71%114 flights
- 7pm70%80 flights
- 8pm64%133 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday73%0.7% cancelled
- Tuesday78%1.7% cancelled
- Wednesday74%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday72%1.4% cancelled
- Friday76%1.4% cancelled
- Saturday73%3.5% cancelled
- Sunday73%1.7% 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 aircraft53%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)32%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion10%
- Extreme weather4%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather55%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion27%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)18%
- Security0%
HOU to MEM: common questions
- How often are HOU to MEM 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 Memphis cancelled?
- 1.3% of scheduled flights were cancelled (11 of 830).
- 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 46 min behind schedule on average, and 5.4% 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: MEM to HOU — 78% 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 → MEM, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.