RDU to HOU flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Raleigh-Durham International Airport to William P. Hobby Airport · 1,050 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at RDU or HOU right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Raleigh/Durham (RDU) to Houston (HOU) arrived on time 83% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.8% were cancelled, and 3% arrived an hour or more late.
- Southwest Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 10am did best (97% on time); around 7pm did worst (67%).
- Thursday was the most reliable day to fly (88% on time) and Tuesday the least (72%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (45%).
Which airline is most on time from RDU 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 | 83% | 0.8% | 8 min | 2.8% | 354 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am92%61 flights
- 8am96%28 flights
- 10am97%30 flights
- 11am94%35 flights
- 1pm79%42 flights
- 4pm92%13 flights
- 5pm72%60 flights
- 6pm73%12 flights
- 7pm67%46 flights
- 8pm56%10 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday86%1.9% cancelled
- Tuesday72%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday79%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday88%0.0% cancelled
- Friday85%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday83%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday84%3.1% 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 aircraft45%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)34%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion19%
- Extreme weather2%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather67%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion33%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)0%
- Security0%
RDU to HOU: common questions
- How often are RDU to HOU 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 Raleigh/Durham to Houston cancelled?
- 0.8% of scheduled flights were cancelled (3 of 354).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 8 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 41 min behind schedule on average, and 2.8% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at RDU?
- Flights on this route spent 11 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: HOU to RDU — 71% on time
More flights from Raleigh/Durham
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: RDU → HOU, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.