HOU to MSY flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from William P. Hobby Airport to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport · 303 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at HOU or MSY 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 New Orleans (MSY) arrived on time 83% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.2% were cancelled, and 4% 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 6pm did worst (70%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (88% on time) and Thursday the least (79%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (53%).
Which airline is most on time from HOU to MSY?
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 | 83% | 0.2% | 10 min | 4.2% | 2,297 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am97%88 flights
- 6am97%90 flights
- 7am95%127 flights
- 8am96%222 flights
- 9am94%79 flights
- 10am89%167 flights
- 11am87%166 flights
- 12pm84%50 flights
- 1pm84%116 flights
- 2pm73%225 flights
- 3pm86%92 flights
- 4pm73%31 flights
- 5pm76%96 flights
- 6pm70%175 flights
- 7pm76%84 flights
- 8pm74%244 flights
- 9pm77%132 flights
- 10pm76%113 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday81%0.9% cancelled
- Tuesday88%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday87%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday79%0.0% cancelled
- Friday82%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday86%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday80%0.6% 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)36%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion7%
- Extreme weather4%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)60%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion40%
- Extreme weather0%
- Security0%
HOU to MSY: common questions
- How often are HOU to MSY flights on time?
- 83% 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 New Orleans cancelled?
- 0.2% of scheduled flights were cancelled (5 of 2,297).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 10 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 51 min behind schedule on average, and 4.2% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at HOU?
- Flights on this route spent 12 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: MSY to HOU — 76% 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 → MSY, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.