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 Washington on time 84% of the time.

Best connections, one ticket

Ranked by chance you reach Washington on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included (Washington is 3 h ahead of Santa Ana). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


American Details →	SNA 19:32 → PHX 20:57AA 2685	2h 55m Phoenix	PHX 23:52 → DCA 07:14 +1AA 1542	8h 42m	96%	84%
Delta Details →	SNA 21:00 → JFK 05:23DL 556	3h 12m New York	JFK 08:35 → DCA 10:02 +1DL 5750 · flown by Republic	10h 02m	98%	81%
Alaska Details →	SNA 06:45 → SFO 08:30AS 3251 · flown by SkyWest	1h 09m San Francisco	SFO 09:39 → DCA 17:59AS 8	8h 14m	95%	71%
United Details →	SNA 21:15 → EWR 05:33UA 2186	2h 36m Newark	EWR 08:09 → DCA 09:32 +1UA 4446 · flown by GoJet	9h 17m	96%	70%
Alaska Details →	SNA 08:05 → SEA 10:55AS 702	2h 51m Seattle	SEA 13:46 → DCA 21:59AS 2	10h 54m	99%	68%
United Details →	SNA 07:45 → IAH 13:07UA 700	1h 13m Houston	IAH 14:20 → DCA 18:31UA 625	7h 46m	95%	66%
Frontier Details →	SNA 09:54 → DEN 13:18F9 4372	3h 09m Denver	DEN 16:27 → DCA 21:59F9 690	9h 04m	98%	65%
Delta Details →	SNA 12:18 → ATL 19:41DL 1521	2h 14m Atlanta	ATL 21:55 → DCA 23:44DL 537	8h 26m	95%	64%
Tight connection: often missed
American Details →	SNA 11:48 → JFK 20:29AA 2683	1h 12m New York	JFK 21:41 → DCA 23:23AA 4336 · flown by Republic	8h 35m	71%	45%

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

SFO · 1h 09m · leaves 06:45 5%

EWR · 57m · leaves 21:15 11%

Afternoon and evening

ATL · 1h 14m · leaves 12:18 10%

ORD · 1h 07m · leaves 10:37 16%

JFK · 1h 12m · leaves 11:48 29%

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 4296 SNA 07:45 → LAS American AA 2019 LAS 11:13 → DCA Connection details →	2h 08m	8h 15m	100%	76%
Southwest WN 3857 SNA 20:45 → PHX American AA 1542 PHX 23:52 → DCA Connection details →	1h 47m	7h 29m	81%	69%
Delta DL 3695 SNA 07:00 → SEA Alaska AS 2 SEA 13:46 → DCA Connection details →	3h 41m	11h 59m	99%	69%

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