RDU to IAH flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Raleigh-Durham International Airport to George Bush Intercontinental Airport · 1,042 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at RDU or IAH 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 (IAH) arrived on time 85% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 1.2% were cancelled, and 5% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (88% on time); Frontier Airlines was the least (76%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (93% on time); around 5pm did worst (77%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (90% on time) and Monday the least (82%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (44%).
Which airline is most on time from RDU to IAH?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 100% | 0.0% | 10 min | 0.0% | 1 |
| United Airlines | 88% | 0.9% | 10 min | 4.2% | 696 |
| Frontier Airlines | 76% | 2.2% | 23 min | 8.1% | 227 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am93%364 flights
- 9am83%12 flights
- 10am81%124 flights
- 12pm86%22 flights
- 4pm84%263 flights
- 5pm77%54 flights
- 6pm82%39 flights
- 7pm63%19 flights
- 8pm50%17 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday82%2.1% cancelled
- Tuesday90%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday87%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday85%0.0% cancelled
- Friday85%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday84%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday85%5.2% 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 aircraft44%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion31%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)22%
- Extreme weather2%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather82%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)18%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
RDU to IAH: common questions
- How often are RDU to IAH flights on time?
- 85% 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?
- 1.2% of scheduled flights were cancelled (11 of 924).
- 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 84 min behind schedule on average, and 5.1% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at RDU?
- Flights on this route spent 17 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: IAH to RDU — 83% 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 → IAH, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.