STL to HOU flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from St. Louis Lambert International Airport to William P. Hobby Airport · 687 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at STL or HOU right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from St. Louis (STL) to Houston (HOU) arrived on time 78% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, in line with the national average.
- 0.3% 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 (96% on time); around 7pm did worst (56%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (90% on time) and Monday the least (72%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (55%).
Which airline is most on time from STL 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 | 78% | 0.3% | 13 min | 6.2% | 1,539 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am96%259 flights
- 6am87%62 flights
- 7am93%97 flights
- 8am90%146 flights
- 9am83%77 flights
- 11am94%34 flights
- 12pm81%78 flights
- 1pm67%75 flights
- 2pm65%51 flights
- 4pm73%49 flights
- 5pm76%113 flights
- 6pm56%110 flights
- 7pm56%106 flights
- 8pm82%106 flights
- 9pm62%114 flights
- 10pm66%48 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday72%0.0% cancelled
- Tuesday84%1.0% cancelled
- Wednesday90%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday77%0.0% cancelled
- Friday80%0.8% cancelled
- Saturday75%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday73%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 aircraft55%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)27%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion14%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather60%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)40%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
STL to HOU: common questions
- How often are STL to HOU flights on time?
- 78% 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 St. Louis to Houston cancelled?
- 0.3% of scheduled flights were cancelled (5 of 1,539).
- 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 54 min behind schedule on average, and 6.2% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at STL?
- Flights on this route spent 11 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: HOU to STL — 80% on time
More flights from St. Louis
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: STL → HOU, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.