ON TIMEBOARD

XNA → IAH on time

Northwest Arkansas National (Fayetteville, AR) to Houston Bush Intercontinental (Houston, TX). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
83%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
1.1%
1,401 flights
Typical arrival
−11 min
median vs schedule
When late
+85 min
average delay
Flights / day
4
1 airline

83% of flights from Fayetteville to Houston arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is better than the typical U.S. route. The 9 a.m. departures ran on time 87% of the time; the 11 a.m. ones 80%. 8% of flights arrived more than an hour late or not at all.

How late?

The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for XNA → IAH: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 47% of the time. About 1 in 15 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 70 three hours or more; 1.1% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 1,401 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
United Airlines1,40183%1.1%−11 min6.5%+85 minMesa Airlines 59%, CommutAir 22%, SkyWest 13%, GoJet 5%, United Airlines 1%, Republic Airways 0%

Airline = the name on the ticket. Regional flights (e.g. "Delta Connection") count under the ticketing airline, and the operator is listed.

Best time of day to fly

On-time rate by scheduled departure hour (local time at XNA). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%6 a.m. departures: 86% on time (308 flights)866a7 a.m. departures: too few flights (55 flights)7a8 a.m. departures: too few flights (2 flights)8a9 a.m. departures: 87% on time (301 flights)879a10 a.m. departures: too few flights10a11 a.m. departures: 80% on time (363 flights)8011anoon departures: too few flights12p1 p.m. departures: too few flights1p2 p.m. departures: too few flights2p3 p.m. departures: too few flights3p4 p.m. departures: too few flights (27 flights)4p5 p.m. departures: 80% on time (318 flights)805p6 p.m. departures: too few flights (25 flights)6p
XNA → IAH, share of flights arriving on time, by departure hour. Hours with under 100 flights are greyed out.
82%+ on time76–82%68–76%under 68%too few flights

Last flight of the day

On XNA → IAH, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 1.1% of the time, against 1.2% for its earlier flights, about the same. It arrived 3+ hours late 1.1% of the time (earlier flights: 1.5%). It matters more than the numbers suggest. Miss an earlier flight and there's another one that evening; miss the last one and you're usually waiting until morning.

AirlineLast departureLast: cancelledLast: 3h+ lateEarlier: cancelledNext morning
United Airlines5:12 p.m.1.1%1.1%1.2%first flight 6:30 a.m.

Last flight = the airline's last scheduled departure on this route that day, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Times are typical scheduled times over the latest three months.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: August (91%). Worst: May (71%).

40%70%100%Jan: 77% on time (300 flights)77JanFeb: 86% on time (284 flights)86FebMar: 82% on time (307 flights)82MarApr: 84% on time (352 flights)84AprMay: 71% on time (352 flights)71MayJun: 74% on time (382 flights)74JunJul: 75% on time (383 flights)75JulAug: 91% on time (374 flights)91AugSep: 88% on time (335 flights)88SepOct: 88% on time (375 flights)88OctNov: 86% on time (374 flights)86NovDec: 87% on time (291 flights)87Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday21582%0.9%
Tuesday20685%0.5%
Wednesday19290%1.0%
Thursday20082%0.0%
Friday20983%0.0%
Saturday17978%2.2%
Sunday20082%3.5%

Why flights were late

Share of delay minutes on flights 15+ minutes late, as reported to BTS by the airlines.

Late inbound plane 43%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 30%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 24%Severe weather 2%

Cancellations: weather 14 · air traffic/airport 2

Month by month

50%75%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Apr 2024: 87% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2024: 59% on time, 9.2% cancelledJun 2024: 80% on time, 1.3% cancelledJul 2024: 65% on time, 10.5% cancelledAug 2024: 91% on time, 0.0% cancelledSep 2024: 90% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2024: 93% on time, 0.7% cancelledNov 2024: 92% on time, 0.7% cancelledApr 2025: 81% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2025: 75% on time, 2.4% cancelledJun 2025: 67% on time, 2.5% cancelledJul 2025: 82% on time, 3.4% cancelledAug 2025: 91% on time, 0.0% cancelledSep 2025: 90% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2025: 86% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2025: 79% on time, 1.4% cancelledDec 2025: 89% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2026: 79% on time, 6.0% cancelledFeb 2026: 92% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2026: 76% on time, 5.0% cancelledApr 2026: 84% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2026: 78% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2026: 74% on time, 0.9% cancelledJul 2026: 81% on time, 0.0% cancelledAug 2026: 91% on time, 0.0% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
XNA → IAH, monthly on-time and cancellation rate.

Flight numbers on this route

Regular flights with at least 120 scheduled trips in the past year. Sorted by departure time.

FlightDepartsFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrivalOperated by
UA 40516:30 a.m.13286%0.0%−14 minMesa Airlines
UA 62905:12 p.m.20582%0.0%−11 minMesa Airlines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Oct 25, 202540%0
Jan 24, 202640%4
Mar 16, 202640%2
Jan 26, 202640%0
Mar 8, 202640%3

Questions

How often are flights from XNA to IAH on time?

83% of 1,401 scheduled flights from Fayetteville, AR to Houston, TX arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 1.1% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly XNA to IAH?

Flights scheduled to leave at 9 a.m. were the most reliable (87% on time). The 11 a.m. departures were the least (80%).

What month has the most delays from XNA to IAH?

May (71% on time). The best month is August (91%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from XNA to IAH more likely to be cancelled?

Not much. Each airline's last XNA–IAH flight of the day was cancelled 1.1% of the time over the past year, against 1.2% for its earlier flights. If the last flight is cancelled, the next one is usually the following morning.

Related

Domestic flights by the airlines that report to the U.S. DOT, plus their regional partners. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes after schedule; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Past performance is a guide, not a forecast. Method.