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 75-minute layover misses 5% of the time at 8 am and 1 time in 3 at 6 pm.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


American	DCA	DSM	2h 51m	73%	5.6%	702	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 Washington). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Delta Details →	DCA 06:59 → ATL 08:51DL 330	3h 34m Atlanta	ATL 12:25 → DSM 13:34DL 2094	7h 35m	99%	87%
American Details →	DCA 08:25 → ORD 10:00AA 4360 · flown by Republic	1h 30m Chicago	ORD 11:30 → DSM 13:05AA 4676 · flown by Republic	5h 40m	94%	84%
United Details →	DCA 06:30 → ORD 07:46UA 1793	56m Chicago	ORD 08:42 → DSM 10:17UA 1803	4h 47m	89%	83%
United Details →	DCA 08:25 → ORD 09:43UA 1061	3h 16m Chicago	ORD 12:59 → DSM 14:27UA 1781	7h 02m	100%	82%
United Details →	DCA 06:00 → IAH 08:13UA 1450	3h 42m Houston	IAH 11:55 → DSM 14:10UA 6166 · flown by Mesa	9h 10m	99%	82%
Delta Details →	DCA 06:00 → ATL 07:48DL 410	1h 45m Atlanta	ATL 09:33 → DSM 10:45DL 1704	5h 46m	98%	82%
Frontier Details →	DCA 07:00 → DEN 09:07F9 685	1h 39m Denver	DEN 10:46 → DSM 13:32F9 1678	7h 34m	97%	80%
Southwest Details →	DCA 07:30 → MDW 08:25WN 1442	1h 45m Chicago	MDW 10:10 → DSM 11:30WN 1771	5h 00m	94%	79%
Tight connection: often missed
Delta Details →	DCA 13:42 → ATL 15:42DL 737	55m Atlanta	ATL 16:37 → DSM 17:52DL 2086	5h 05m	73%	57%
American Details →	DCA 20:06 → ORD 21:42AA 2903	49m Chicago	ORD 22:31 → DSM 00:18 +1AA 4442 · flown by Republic	4h 55m	68%	42%
United Details →	DCA 19:10 → ORD 20:32UA 1193	53m Chicago	ORD 21:25 → DSM 22:56UA 1839	4h 46m	49%	27%

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

DTW · 1h 15m · leaves 06:00 5%

ORD · 1h 11m · leaves 10:30 6%

IAH · 1h 14m · leaves 08:20 6%

Afternoon and evening

ATL · 55m · leaves 13:42 27%

ORD · 53m · leaves 19:10 51%

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 4969 DCA 06:55 → ATL Delta DL 2094 ATL 12:25 → DSM Connection details →	3h 35m	7h 39m	100%	90%
United UA 2638 DCA 07:15 → ORD American AA 4676 ORD 11:30 → DSM Connection details →	3h 02m	6h 50m	100%	89%
Frontier F9 685 DCA 07:00 → DEN Southwest WN 1524 DEN 12:05 → DSM Connection details →	2h 58m	8h 50m	99%	86%

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