IAH to TPA flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from George Bush Intercontinental Airport to Tampa International Airport · 787 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at IAH or TPA 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 Tampa (TPA) arrived on time 82% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.5% were cancelled, and 6% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (83% on time); Frontier Airlines was the least (75%).
- Departures scheduled around 7am did best (94% on time); around 12pm did worst (75%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (88% on time) and Sunday the least (77%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (48%).
Which airline is most on time from IAH to TPA?
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 | 83% | 0.4% | 11 min | 5.8% | 1,349 |
| Spirit Airlines | 76% | 0.0% | 16 min | 7.9% | 114 |
| Frontier Airlines | 75% | 2.6% | 33 min | 8.0% | 116 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 7am94%355 flights
- 11am88%33 flights
- 12pm75%371 flights
- 1pm65%37 flights
- 2pm85%288 flights
- 5pm88%24 flights
- 6pm78%362 flights
- 7pm70%27 flights
- 8pm81%26 flights
- 9pm87%39 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday80%0.8% cancelled
- Tuesday87%0.5% cancelled
- Wednesday88%1.0% cancelled
- Thursday84%0.8% cancelled
- Friday80%0.4% cancelled
- Saturday80%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday77%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 aircraft48%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)27%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion19%
- Extreme weather6%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather38%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion38%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)25%
- Security0%
IAH to TPA: common questions
- How often are IAH to TPA flights on time?
- 82% 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 Tampa cancelled?
- 0.5% of scheduled flights were cancelled (8 of 1,579).
- 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 67 min behind schedule on average, and 6.1% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at IAH?
- Flights on this route spent 20 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: TPA to IAH — 85% 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 → TPA, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.