IAH to SAN flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from George Bush Intercontinental Airport to San Diego International Airport · 1,303 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
- SAN: Airport closed. Closed, expected to reopen Oct 11 at 13:00 UTC.
On-time arrivals
81%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
0.2%
4 flights
Avg arrival delay
11 min
56 min when late
Airlines
1
1,696 flights tracked
Key facts
- Flights from Houston (IAH) to San Diego (SAN) arrived on time 81% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.2% were cancelled, and 5% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 4pm did best (86% on time); around 7pm did worst (71%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (87% on time) and Thursday the least (74%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (34%).
Which airline is most on time from IAH to SAN?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 81% | 0.2% | 11 min | 5.4% | 1,696 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 9am85%365 flights
- 12pm80%197 flights
- 2pm85%185 flights
- 4pm86%338 flights
- 5pm68%19 flights
- 6pm76%229 flights
- 7pm71%74 flights
- 8pm78%289 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday79%0.4% cancelled
- Tuesday87%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday87%0.8% cancelled
- Thursday74%0.0% cancelled
- Friday80%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday84%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday81%0.4% 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 aircraft34%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)31%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion28%
- Extreme weather6%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather50%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)25%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion25%
- Security0%
IAH to SAN: common questions
- How often are IAH to SAN flights on time?
- 81% 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 San Diego cancelled?
- 0.2% of scheduled flights were cancelled (4 of 1,696).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 11 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 56 min behind schedule on average, and 5.4% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at IAH?
- Flights on this route spent 22 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SAN to IAH — 84% 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 → SAN, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.