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

Connect in the morning. The same one-hour layover misses 2% of the time at 9 am and 37% of the time at 9 pm.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


Delta	SNA	MSP	3h 40m	83%	1.9%	577	Flying now

Best connections, one ticket

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

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


Delta Details →	SNA 17:13 → SEA 20:14DL 3999 · flown by SkyWest	3h 45m Seattle	SEA 23:59 → MSP 05:17 +1DL 953	10h 04m	100%	90%
Delta Details →	SNA 07:00 → SEA 10:05DL 3695 · flown by SkyWest	2h 00m Seattle	SEA 12:05 → MSP 17:37DL 941	8h 36m	98%	86%
Delta Details →	SNA 07:15 → SLC 10:15DL 1185	3h 45m Salt Lake City	SLC 14:00 → MSP 17:30DL 2936	8h 17m	98%	85%
Alaska Details →	SNA 06:47 → SEA 09:42AS 1325	2h 09m Seattle	SEA 11:51 → MSP 17:19AS 509	8h 32m	100%	84%
Alaska Details →	SNA 07:00 → PDX 09:24AS 750	1h 06m Portland	PDX 10:30 → MSP 15:58AS 1429	6h 58m	98%	84%
United Details →	SNA 06:45 → DEN 10:16UA 513	3h 26m Denver	DEN 13:42 → MSP 16:46UA 732	8h 01m	100%	83%
Delta Details →	SNA 11:20 → SEA 14:24DL 3966 · flown by SkyWest	3h 41m Seattle	SEA 18:05 → MSP 23:30DL 949	10h 10m	100%	82%
Delta Details →	SNA 21:00 → JFK 05:23DL 556	1h 52m New York	JFK 07:15 → MSP 09:26 +1DL 2390	10h 26m	98%	79%
Tight connection: often missed
Delta Details →	SNA 14:05 → SEA 17:00DL 952	1h 05m Seattle	SEA 18:05 → MSP 23:30DL 949	7h 25m	73%	59%
Delta Details →	SNA 11:44 → DTW 19:06DL 1856	59m Detroit	DTW 20:05 → MSP 21:00DL 1303	7h 16m	53%	34%
American Details →	SNA 15:11 → ORD 21:49AA 2640	47m Chicago	ORD 22:36 → MSP 00:22 +1AA 4472 · flown by Republic	7h 11m	53%	32%

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

PDX · 1h 06m · leaves 07:00 2%

SEA · 56m · leaves 08:05 11%

SLC · 55m · leaves 07:15 13%

Afternoon and evening

EWR · 59m · leaves 12:29 37%

DTW · 59m · leaves 11:44 47%

ORD · 47m · leaves 15:11 47%

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 3868 SNA 08:50 → SMF Delta DL 1701 SMF 13:21 → MSP Connection details →	3h 06m	7h 59m	100%	96%
Southwest WN 3887 SNA 07:05 → PHX Delta DL 2208 PHX 11:51 → MSP Connection details →	3h 21m	7h 51m	100%	92%
Alaska AS 774 SNA 17:32 → SEA Delta DL 953 SEA 23:59 → MSP Connection details →	3h 39m	9h 45m	99%	89%

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