Houston (IAH) to San José (SJO)
Flight time
≈ 3h 55m
Bearing
150° SE
Houston (IAH) to San José (SJO) is 1,556 miles (2,505 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies IAH–SJO
Filed traffic dataIn July 2026, United Airlines was the only carrier flying nonstop IAH–SJO; the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was the most common aircraft at 95% of departures; flights ran 94% full.
Departures
248
July 2026
Seats
41,194
both directions
Passengers
38,570
both directions
Load factor
93.6%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies IAH–SJO?
United Airlines was the only carrier to fly nonstop IAH–SJO in July 2026 (248 departures).
- UA
248 departures · 41,194 seats
Share of departures100.0%93.6%
Load
What plane flies IAH–SJO?
In July 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew 95% of IAH–SJO departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737 MAX 8
236 departures · 93.7% load
95.2% - Boeing 737-800
10 departures · 95.1% load
4.0% - Boeing 737 MAX 9
2 departures · 76.3% load
0.8%
How has IAH–SJO traffic changed?
Nonstop IAH–SJO departures rose from 196 in August 2025 to 248 in July 2026.
Monthly nonstop IAH–SJO traffic, trailing 12 months through July 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
August 2025
196 departures · 27,672 passengers
85.0%
Load
September 2025
121 departures · 17,935 passengers
89.1%
Load
October 2025
135 departures · 18,826 passengers
83.8%
Load
November 2025
182 departures · 22,835 passengers
75.4%
Load
December 2025
180 departures · 26,783 passengers
88.8%
Load
January 2026
197 departures · 30,389 passengers
92.6%
Load
February 2026
169 departures · 25,876 passengers
92.2%
Load
March 2026
229 departures · 32,636 passengers
85.8%
Load
April 2026
176 departures · 24,782 passengers
84.8%
Load
May 2026
167 departures · 24,641 passengers
88.9%
Load
June 2026
240 departures · 36,506 passengers
91.6%
Load
July 2026
248 departures · 38,570 passengers
93.6%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
IAH → SJO
94.2% full
124 departures · 19,396 passengers
SJO → IAH
93.1% full
124 departures · 19,174 passengers
Nonstop IAH–SJO traffic has been filed since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through July 2026; filings from 2025. Public domain (US Government work).
The airports
San José
CR
Juan Santamaría International Airport
Coordinates
9.99°N, 84.21°W
Hemisphere
N · W
Frequently asked
How far is Houston (IAH) from San José (SJO)?
IAH to SJO is 1,556 miles (2,505 km / 1,353 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from IAH to SJO?
A nonstop covers the 1,556-mile great-circle distance in roughly 3h 55m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies IAH–SJO?
In July 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew the largest share of departures (95.2%), followed by the Boeing 737-800 (4.0%).
What mileage do I earn flying IAH–SJO?
Distance-based programs credit off the 1,556-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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