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 Dulles on time 4 times in 5.

Best connections, any airlines

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


Southwest + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	DAL 19:10 → DEN 20:30WN 1304	3h 29m Denver	DEN 23:59 → IAD 05:27 +1UA 1924	9h 17m	98%	92%
Southwest + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	DAL 07:00 → MSY 08:25WN 3312	3h 52m New Orleans	MSY 12:17 → IAD 15:50UA 2497	7h 50m	98%	89%
Southwest + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	DAL 06:00 → PHX 06:28WN 1379	2h 22m Phoenix	PHX 08:50 → IAD 16:17UA 1873	9h 17m	100%	88%
Southwest + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	DAL 08:35 → MCI 10:10WN 1343	2h 20m Kansas City	MCI 12:30 → IAD 16:03UA 688	6h 28m	100%	87%
Southwest + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	DAL 07:35 → AUS 08:40WN 1265	3h 20m Austin	AUS 12:00 → IAD 16:19UA 2344	7h 44m	98%	87%
Southwest + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	DAL 06:05 → LAS 06:50WN 1318	1h 58m Las Vegas	LAS 08:48 → IAD 16:24UA 1140	9h 19m	98%	86%
Southwest + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	DAL 12:20 → AUS 13:20WN 931	3h 40m Austin	AUS 17:00 → IAD 21:19UA 376	7h 59m	100%	85%
Southwest + Deltatwo ticketsDetails →	DAL 06:00 → ATL 09:05WN 1261	3h 12m Atlanta	ATL 12:17 → IAD 14:02DL 2135	7h 02m	100%	85%
Tight connection: often missed
Delta Details →	DAL 18:40 → ATL 22:00DL 2780	53m Atlanta	ATL 22:53 → IAD 00:44 +1DL 2549	5h 04m	74%	53%

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.

Afternoon and evening

ATL · 53m · leaves 18:40 26%

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.

The table above includes two-ticket connections (marked “two tickets”), held to the 90-minute minimum. One ticket only →

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