IAH to PHL flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from George Bush Intercontinental Airport to Philadelphia International Airport · 1,325 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at IAH or PHL right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Houston (IAH) to Philadelphia (PHL) arrived on time 79% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 2% were cancelled, and 9% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (81% on time); American Airlines was the least (77%).
- Departures scheduled around 7am did best (88% on time); around 4pm did worst (68%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (84% on time) and Sunday the least (73%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (42%).
Which airline is most on time from IAH to PHL?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spirit Airlines | 91% | 8.3% | 7 min | 9.1% | 12 |
| United Airlines | 81% | 1.1% | 14 min | 7.1% | 922 |
| American Airlines | 77% | 3.2% | 32 min | 10.7% | 730 |
| Frontier Airlines | 72% | 1.4% | 25 min | 15.5% | 72 |
| PSA AirlinesRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 71% | 2.2% | 48 min | 11.2% | 92 |
| Republic AirwaysRegional airline operating flights for American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. | 60% | 0.0% | 60 min | 25.0% | 20 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am81%144 flights
- 7am88%444 flights
- 8am88%98 flights
- 10am68%40 flights
- 11am71%39 flights
- 12pm76%294 flights
- 1pm83%143 flights
- 2pm75%156 flights
- 3pm58%33 flights
- 4pm68%87 flights
- 6pm74%337 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday75%2.7% cancelled
- Tuesday84%2.0% cancelled
- Wednesday79%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday79%0.7% cancelled
- Friday81%1.8% cancelled
- Saturday79%1.5% cancelled
- Sunday73%5.1% 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 aircraft42%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)40%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion16%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather73%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)19%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion8%
- Security0%
IAH to PHL: common questions
- How often are IAH to PHL flights on time?
- 79% 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 Philadelphia cancelled?
- 2.0% of scheduled flights were cancelled (37 of 1,848).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 23 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 105 min behind schedule on average, and 9.3% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at IAH?
- Flights on this route spent 21 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: PHL to IAH — 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: IAH → PHL, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.