HOU to OAK flight delays
Houston, TX (HOU) Oakland, CA (OAK) · 1,642 miles
375 flights · January 2025 – August 2026 · US Bureau of Transportation Statistics
74.6%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
0.27%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
46 min
When late, late by
Average across delayed arrivals
13 min
Delay per flight
Averaged over every flight flown
What the record says about this route
The season swings this route hard. In May it ran 41.9 points more punctual than in July — a difference bigger than the one between the best and worst airlines on most routes. If the date is flexible, it is worth more than the carrier.
The route has been getting better. The later months in the record run 17.4 points more punctual than the earlier ones, which usually means a schedule that was too tight has been given more room.
The two directions do not behave alike. OAK to HOU arrives on time 5.4 points more often than the outbound. Delay accumulates through the flying day, so whichever direction is scheduled later tends to carry the worse record — which is an argument for booking the morning departure if the choice exists.
Only Southwest Airlines flies this route in the published record, so there is no choice to weigh — the route's figures and the airline's are the same figures.
Which airline should you fly on this route?
Over January 2025 – August 2026, Southwest Airlines arrived on time most often on HOU to OAK. Flights ran closest to schedule in May and worst in July.
Every airline on HOU to OAK
Ranked by how many flights each one operated. A carrier with fewer than 100 flights in the period is listed but not graded.
| Airline | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 375 | 74.6% | 0.27% | 46 min | C |
Month by month
Share of flights that arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, by month flown.
The return leg
OAK to HOU Oakland back to Houston 80% on time COther routes from Houston
Common questions
Are flights from Houston to Oakland usually delayed?
74.6% of flights on the HOU to OAK route arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, so roughly 3 in every ten arrived late. That is about the same as the average route in this record.
Which airlines fly from Houston to Oakland?
Only Southwest Airlines appears in the published record on this route, with 375 flights and 74.6% arriving on time.
How often are HOU to OAK flights cancelled?
0.27% of scheduled flights did not operate — about 3 in every thousand. That is in the normal range.
What is the best month to fly Houston to Oakland?
May, when 93.5% of flights arrived on time. The worst was July at 51.6%.
When HOU to OAK flights are late, how late are they?
About 46 minutes on average across the flights that arrived more than 15 minutes behind schedule.
What these figures do and do not tell you
Everything on this page is counted from the flights that actually operated on HOU to OAK during January 2025 – August 2026, as reported by the airlines to the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics. "On time" is the federal definition: arriving at the gate within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.
A route's record is a description of the past, not a forecast. Weather, air traffic control and the aircraft's earlier flights that day drive most delays, and none of them are predictable from a historical rate. What the record does tell you is whether this route runs late more often than others, and which carrier on it has the better history — which is the part you can actually act on when you book.
Cancellations are counted separately from delays because they are a different problem for a traveller: a late flight still gets you there. How the grade is calculated →