Houston (IAH) to New Orleans (MSY)

304mi
489 km264 nm

Flight time

≈ 1h 24m

Bearing

89° E

Houston (IAH) to New Orleans (MSY) is 304 miles (489 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.

Route map: IAH → MSYIAHMSY

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What actually flies IAH–MSY

Filed traffic data

In May 2026, United Airlines operated the most departures, one of 5 carriers flying nonstop IAH–MSY; the Airbus A319 was the most common aircraft at 22% of departures; flights ran 76% full.

Departures

499

May 2026

Seats

75,063

both directions

Passengers

57,295

both directions

Load factor

76.3%

RPM ÷ ASM

Who flies IAH–MSY?

United Airlines operated the most nonstop IAH–MSY departures in May 2026 (459), one of 5 carriers on the route.

What plane flies IAH–MSY?

In May 2026, the Airbus A319 flew 22% of IAH–MSY departures — more than any other aircraft type.

How has IAH–MSY traffic changed?

Nonstop IAH–MSY departures fell from 537 in June 2025 to 499 in May 2026.

Monthly nonstop IAH–MSY traffic, trailing 12 months through May 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.

  • June 2025

    537 departures · 62,802 passengers

    75.7%

    Load

  • July 2025

    541 departures · 56,917 passengers

    73.8%

    Load

  • August 2025

    541 departures · 48,656 passengers

    62.6%

    Load

  • September 2025

    564 departures · 56,016 passengers

    63.3%

    Load

  • October 2025

    575 departures · 65,905 passengers

    72.0%

    Load

  • November 2025

    510 departures · 55,227 passengers

    67.8%

    Load

  • December 2025

    495 departures · 55,014 passengers

    73.0%

    Load

  • January 2026

    482 departures · 45,247 passengers

    64.4%

    Load

  • February 2026

    478 departures · 51,195 passengers

    71.9%

    Load

  • March 2026

    525 departures · 55,145 passengers

    69.1%

    Load

  • April 2026

    546 departures · 57,742 passengers

    65.0%

    Load

  • May 2026

    499 departures · 57,295 passengers

    76.3%

    Load

By direction

Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.

MSY → IAH

81.8% full

250 departures · 30,221 passengers

IAH → MSY

71.1% full

249 departures · 27,074 passengers

Nonstop IAH–MSY traffic has been filed since 2025.

Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through May 2026; filings from 2025. Public domain (US Government work).

The airports

IAH

Houston

US

George Bush Intercontinental Airport

Coordinates

29.98°N, 95.34°W

Hemisphere

N · W

MSY

New Orleans

US

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport

Coordinates

29.99°N, 90.26°W

Hemisphere

N · W

Frequently asked

How far is Houston (IAH) from New Orleans (MSY)?

IAH to MSY is 304 miles (489 km / 264 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.

How long is the flight from IAH to MSY?

A nonstop covers the 304-mile great-circle distance in roughly 1h 24m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.

What plane flies IAH–MSY?

In May 2026, the Airbus A319 flew the largest share of departures (22.4%), followed by the Airbus A320 (20.6%).

What mileage do I earn flying IAH–MSY?

Distance-based programs credit off the 304-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.

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