Sun, Oct 4 has passed, so this is the 12-month record.

Itineraries flown on 20+ days in the Jun 6 – Jul 31, 2026 schedule · each leg’s record Aug 2025 – Jul 2026

No nonstop, and no clear pattern: the best connection reaches Santa Ana on time 88% of the time.

Best connections, one ticket

Ranked by chance you reach Santa Ana on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included (Santa Ana is 2 h behind Houston). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Southwest Details →	HOU 07:48 → SJC 09:38WN 2079	3h 22m San Jose	SJC 13:00 → SNA 14:25WN 397	8h 37m	98%	88%
Southwest Details →	HOU 05:30 → DEN 06:55WN 1970	55m Denver	DEN 07:50 → SNA 09:15WN 1745	5h 45m	91%	86%
Southwest Details →	HOU 07:35 → OAK 09:30WN 2056	2h 35m Oakland	OAK 12:05 → SNA 13:35WN 3086	8h 00m	100%	86%
Southwest Details →	HOU 05:30 → LAS 06:30WN 2251	2h 45m Las Vegas	LAS 09:15 → SNA 10:25WN 187	6h 55m	100%	84%
Southwest Details →	HOU 06:20 → PHX 06:55WN 2062	3h 00m Phoenix	PHX 09:55 → SNA 11:15WN 3001	6h 55m	98%	81%
Southwest Details →	HOU 07:50 → LAS 09:00WN 1998	1h 32m Las Vegas	LAS 10:32 → SNA 11:42WN 2092	5h 52m	98%	79%
American Details →	HOU 06:03 → DFW 07:30AA 3395 · flown by Envoy	2h 10m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 09:40 → SNA 10:52AA 2672	6h 45m	95%	77%
American Details →	HOU 06:03 → DFW 07:29AA 5492 · flown by PSA	56m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 08:25 → SNA 09:33AA 2680	5h 30m	86%	74%
Tight connection: often missed
American Details →	HOU 16:14 → DFW 17:38AA 5002 · flown by SkyWest	1h 37m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 19:15 → SNA 20:22AA 806	6h 08m	71%	44%
American Details →	HOU 18:49 → DFW 20:15AA 6385 · flown by SkyWest	1h 01m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 21:16 → SNA 22:24AA 348	5h 35m	54%	34%
Southwest Details →	HOU 17:55 → DEN 19:40WN 1974	50m Denver	DEN 20:30 → SNA 21:55WN 744	6h 00m	21%	11%

Same layover, different day-part

How often the first flight arrives too late to connect (45 min minimum), for one-ticket layovers of 45–80 minutes.

Morning

PHX · 1h 15m · leaves 06:20 5%

DEN · 55m · leaves 05:30 9%

DFW · 55m · leaves 06:03 15%

Afternoon and evening

ATL · 1h 12m · leaves 13:10 18%

DFW · 1h 01m · leaves 18:49 46%

Delays build through the day, so an afternoon first leg eats the layover. A short connection is fine early in the morning and a gamble later on.

Mixing airlines

One ticketMiss it and the airline rebooks you; bags go through. 45 min is enough.

Separate ticketsMiss it and you buy a new ticket. Re-check bags, clear security again: we require 90 min.


Southwest WN 2251 HOU 05:30 → LAS Delta DL 4078 LAS 08:45 → SNA Connection details →	2h 15m	6h 34m	100%	88%
Southwest WN 2002 HOU 14:10 → LAS Delta DL 4179 LAS 18:06 → SNA Connection details →	2h 46m	7h 18m	98%	86%
Southwest WN 1971 HOU 08:15 → DEN United UA 1707 DEN 13:25 → SNA Connection details →	3h 40m	8h 41m	100%	86%

Rank all connections, any airlines →

Regional partners count as the airline that sells them: SkyWest flying Delta Connection is one Delta ticket.

How these are worked out. Makes the connection: share of the last year’s flights where the first flight arrived with at least 45 minutes to spare (90 on separate tickets). Arrives on time: first flight not cancelled × connection made × second flight not cancelled and arriving within 15 minutes. Not yet counted: the second flight also leaving late (which helps), gate-to-gate distance at the hub, and rebooking after a missed connection.

About this data: US DOT on-time records, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, all US airlines; regional flights count under the airline that sells them. Schedules (which flights and connections exist, and their times) are as of Jun 6 – Jul 31, 2026; seasonal flights outside that window aren’t ranked. Rebuilt monthly. JSON