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 DAL → PHL flights land within a few points of 3 in 4 on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


Southwest	DAL	PHL	3h 05m	75%	0.9%	324	Flying now

Best connections, any airlines

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

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


Southwest + Americantwo ticketsDetails →	DAL 06:00 → ATL 09:05WN 1261	3h 20m Atlanta	ATL 12:25 → PHL 14:36AA 4338 · flown by Republic	7h 36m	100%	94%
Southwest + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	DAL 06:00 → DEN 07:00WN 1296	2h 35m Denver	DEN 09:35 → PHL 15:12UA 1575	8h 12m	100%	88%
Southwest + Deltatwo ticketsDetails →	DAL 07:00 → SLC 08:40WN 1408	2h 40m Salt Lake City	SLC 11:20 → PHL 17:39DL 2022	9h 40m	100%	85%
Southwest + Americantwo ticketsDetails →	DAL 06:05 → MCO 09:45WN 1434	2h 17m Orlando	MCO 12:02 → PHL 14:39AA 2101	7h 34m	100%	82%
Southwest + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	DAL 19:10 → DEN 20:30WN 1304	3h 29m Denver	DEN 23:59 → PHL 05:31 +1UA 1214	9h 21m	98%	82%
Southwest + Americantwo ticketsDetails →	DAL 07:20 → STL 09:05WN 274	2h 11m St Louis	STL 11:16 → PHL 14:36AA 2720	6h 15m	89%	80%
Southwest + Americantwo ticketsDetails →	DAL 06:05 → LAS 06:50WN 1318	1h 56m Las Vegas	LAS 08:46 → PHL 16:44AA 779	9h 39m	98%	79%
Delta Details →	DAL 06:05 → ATL 09:15DL 516	2h 06m Atlanta	ATL 11:21 → PHL 13:24DL 2279	6h 21m	96%	79%
Tight connection: often missed
Southwest Details →	DAL 17:25 → STL 19:10WN 2921	1h 28m St Louis	STL 20:38 → PHL 23:50WN 3966	5h 25m	68%	34%
Southwest Details →	DAL 10:00 → MCO 13:40WN 1540	1h 00m Orlando	MCO 14:40 → PHL 17:15WN 2679	6h 15m	58%	16%
Southwest Details →	DAL 17:55 → BNA 19:45WN 277	1h 25m Nashville	BNA 21:10 → PHL 00:25 +1WN 634	5h 15m	58%	16%

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 · 55m · leaves 18:40 25%

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