DAL is an option out of IAH to ATL and then on to EWR. The 2-leg version of your commute would give you more options, but eat up more time. Commuting in general sucks...and CAL isn't exactly known for flying planes empty. Just from a regional standpoint, the heaviest loads I see are on the CAL side. Everytime I take a look at loads for my commute, CAL is at the end of the list just because I know they'll probably be full. It got to the point that when I commute outta Houston, I don't even look at IAH anymore; I go straight to HOU (which won't help you too much). Good Luck.