MSY to HOU flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport to William P. Hobby Airport · 303 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at MSY or HOU right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from New Orleans (MSY) to Houston (HOU) arrived on time 76% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.6% were cancelled, and 6% arrived an hour or more late.
- Southwest Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 5am did best (95% on time); around 4pm did worst (55%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (85% on time) and Sunday the least (65%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (51%).
Which airline is most on time from MSY to HOU?
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 | 76% | 0.6% | 13 min | 5.6% | 2,297 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am95%191 flights
- 6am92%169 flights
- 7am91%82 flights
- 8am89%238 flights
- 9am91%88 flights
- 10am93%150 flights
- 11am82%87 flights
- 12pm63%206 flights
- 1pm82%67 flights
- 2pm72%150 flights
- 3pm69%150 flights
- 4pm55%135 flights
- 5pm66%123 flights
- 6pm56%206 flights
- 7pm60%62 flights
- 8pm66%152 flights
- 9pm78%37 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday77%0.9% cancelled
- Tuesday85%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday81%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday77%0.0% cancelled
- Friday73%0.6% cancelled
- Saturday76%1.6% cancelled
- Sunday65%1.5% 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 aircraft51%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion23%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)21%
- Extreme weather4%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Air traffic control & airport congestion43%
- Extreme weather29%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)21%
- Security7%
MSY to HOU: common questions
- How often are MSY to HOU flights on time?
- 76% 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 New Orleans to Houston cancelled?
- 0.6% of scheduled flights were cancelled (14 of 2,297).
- 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 50 min behind schedule on average, and 5.6% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at MSY?
- Flights on this route spent 14 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: HOU to MSY — 83% on time
More flights from New Orleans
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: MSY → HOU, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.