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 1 time in 10 at 9 am and almost half the time at 8 pm.

Nonstops


Delta	ATL	DSM	2h 11m	85%	2.4%	1,288	Flying now

Best connections, one ticket

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

Ranked by chance you reach Des Moines on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included (Des Moines is 1 h behind Atlanta). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Southwest Details →	ATL 09:30 → DEN 10:40WN 202	1h 25m Denver	DEN 12:05 → DSM 14:50WN 1524	6h 20m	95%	83%
American Details →	ATL 07:25 → ORD 08:45AA 616	2h 45m Chicago	ORD 11:30 → DSM 13:05AA 4676 · flown by Republic	6h 40m	95%	83%
United Details →	ATL 07:30 → DEN 08:51UA 340	59m Denver	DEN 09:50 → DSM 12:47UA 5211 · flown by SkyWest	6h 17m	90%	82%
United Details →	ATL 07:05 → IAH 08:15UA 532	3h 40m Houston	IAH 11:55 → DSM 14:10UA 6166 · flown by Mesa	8h 05m	99%	82%
United Details →	ATL 11:10 → DEN 12:28UA 1327	1h 02m Denver	DEN 13:30 → DSM 16:15UA 1311	6h 05m	91%	81%
American Details →	ATL 06:00 → PHL 08:11AA 3270	2h 24m Philadelphia	PHL 10:35 → DSM 12:34AA 5165 · flown by PSA	7h 34m	99%	78%
United Details →	ATL 16:22 → DEN 18:08UA 235	2h 37m Denver	DEN 20:45 → DSM 23:44UA 5389 · flown by SkyWest	8h 22m	95%	78%
Delta Details →	ATL 12:21 → MSP 13:57DL 2901	1h 43m Minneapolis	MSP 15:40 → DSM 16:54DL 4913 · flown by Endeavor	5h 33m	96%	76%
Tight connection: often missed
American Details →	ATL 19:43 → ORD 21:11AA 1372	1h 20m Chicago	ORD 22:31 → DSM 00:18 +1AA 4442 · flown by Republic	5h 18m	59%	37%
American Details →	ATL 15:04 → LGA 17:27AA 4605 · flown by Republic	1h 02m New York	LGA 18:29 → DSM 20:51AA 4395 · flown by Republic	6h 47m	62%	36%
United Details →	ATL 19:04 → ORD 20:30UA 1046	55m Chicago	ORD 21:25 → DSM 22:56UA 1839	4h 52m	54%	30%

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

MSP · 1h 20m · leaves 09:55 4%

PHL · 1h 20m · leaves 07:05 7%

DEN · 59m · leaves 07:30 10%

Afternoon and evening

LGA · 1h 02m · leaves 15:04 38%

ORD · 55m · leaves 19:04 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 2114 ATL 06:25 → DEN United UA 5211 DEN 09:50 → DSM Connection details →	2h 20m	7h 22m	100%	92%
Southwest WN 202 ATL 09:30 → DEN United UA 1311 DEN 13:30 → DSM Connection details →	2h 50m	7h 45m	100%	89%
Delta DL 2235 ATL 07:25 → DEN Southwest WN 1524 DEN 12:05 → DSM Connection details →	3h 30m	8h 25m	100%	87%

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