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

No clear winner: Southwest’s BHM → HOU flights land within a few points of 85% on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


Southwest	BHM	HOU	1h 55m	85%	0.2%	447	Flying now

Best connections, one ticket

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

Ranked by chance you reach Houston on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included. Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Southwest Details →	BHM 05:00 → MDW 06:50WN 442	3h 20m Chicago	MDW 10:10 → HOU 12:50WN 2783	7h 50m	100%	86%
Delta Details →	BHM 05:15 → ATL 07:21DL 1979	59m Atlanta	ATL 08:20 → HOU 09:28DL 1509	4h 09m	98%	84%
Delta Details →	BHM 06:15 → ATL 08:21DL 1618	2h 44m Atlanta	ATL 11:05 → HOU 12:11DL 1195	5h 57m	98%	81%
American Details →	BHM 05:00 → DFW 07:13AA 4127 · flown by Envoy	3h 38m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 10:51 → HOU 12:16AA 6413 · flown by SkyWest	7h 16m	99%	78%
Southwest Details →	BHM 06:15 → DAL 08:00WN 239	2h 30m Dallas	DAL 10:30 → HOU 11:45WN 23	5h 30m	98%	78%
Delta Details →	BHM 09:28 → ATL 11:29DL 3100	3h 42m Atlanta	ATL 15:11 → HOU 16:23DL 2381	6h 57m	100%	77%
Southwest Details →	BHM 09:20 → DEN 11:05WN 436	1h 25m Denver	DEN 12:30 → HOU 16:05WN 1544	6h 45m	98%	77%
Southwest Details →	BHM 05:30 → BNA 06:30WN 430	1h 30m Nashville	BNA 08:00 → HOU 10:05WN 532	4h 35m	95%	75%
Tight connection: often missed
American Details →	BHM 15:12 → DFW 17:24AA 5063 · flown by PSA	1h 10m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 18:34 → HOU 19:51AA 3351 · flown by Envoy	4h 39m	54%	31%

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

ATL · 59m · leaves 05:15 2%

Afternoon and evening

ATL · 1h 05m · leaves 17:24 17%

DFW · 1h 10m · leaves 15:12 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.


Delta DL 1979 BHM 05:15 → ATL Southwest WN 4914 ATL 09:30 → HOU Connection details →	2h 09m	5h 20m	99%	77%
United UA 5295 BHM 08:10 → DEN Southwest WN 1544 DEN 12:30 → HOU Connection details →	1h 55m	7h 55m	95%	75%
Delta DL 3164 BHM 10:42 → ATL Southwest WN 206 ATL 16:05 → HOU Connection details →	3h 19m	6h 33m	99%	63%

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