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 Oakland on time 9 times in 10.

Best connections, any airlines

Ranked by chance you reach Oakland on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included (Oakland is 3 h behind Washington). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Delta Details →	DCA 17:50 → SLC 20:37DL 820	2h 13m Salt Lake City	SLC 22:50 → OAK 23:50DL 3797 · flown by SkyWest	9h 01m	97%	90%
Southwest Details →	DCA 07:30 → MDW 08:25WN 1442	1h 40m Chicago	MDW 10:05 → OAK 12:35WN 3366	8h 05m	94%	68%
Alaska + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	DCA 09:59 → LAX 12:27AS 5	3h 03m Los Angeles	LAX 15:30 → OAK 16:50WN 2417	9h 51m	96%	58%
Frontier + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	DCA 07:00 → DEN 09:07F9 685	1h 38m Denver	DEN 10:45 → OAK 12:18WN 1577	8h 17m	79%	51%
Alaska + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	DCA 08:59 → SAN 11:39AS 15	2h 51m San Diego	SAN 14:30 → OAK 16:05WN 3519	10h 06m	96%	50%
American + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	DCA 08:00 → LAS 10:10AA 2051	3h 20m Las Vegas	LAS 13:30 → OAK 15:10WN 4488	10h 10m	99%	45%
Delta + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	DCA 16:45 → LAX 19:20DL 392	1h 45m Los Angeles	LAX 21:05 → OAK 22:25WN 4554	8h 40m	75%	38%
United + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	DCA 16:13 → DEN 18:25UA 746	3h 45m Denver	DEN 22:10 → OAK 23:45WN 1650	10h 32m	96%	37%
Tight connection: often missed
Alaska Details →	DCA 08:59 → SAN 11:39AS 15	51m San Diego	SAN 12:30 → OAK 14:10AS 3218 · flown by SkyWest	8h 11m	57%	48%
Southwest Details →	DCA 19:00 → MDW 20:10WN 1447	1h 30m Chicago	MDW 21:40 → OAK 00:15 +1WN 4042	8h 10m	67%	29%
Southwest Details →	DCA 16:25 → LAS 18:30WN 978	1h 20m Las Vegas	LAS 19:50 → OAK 21:20WN 4270	8h 00m	46%	25%

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

SAN · 51m · leaves 08:59 43%

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