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 90-minute layover misses 8% of the time at 11 am and 1 time in 4 at 6 pm.

Best connections, one ticket

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


Alaska Details →	DCA 08:00 → SEA 10:58AS 1	3h 20m Seattle	SEA 14:18 → SJC 16:32AS 1366	11h 32m	99%	87%
Delta Details →	DCA 06:00 → ATL 07:48DL 410	1h 52m Atlanta	ATL 09:40 → SJC 11:36DL 809	8h 36m	98%	85%
Delta Details →	DCA 06:00 → MSP 07:39DL 1193	2h 26m Minneapolis	MSP 10:05 → SJC 12:05DL 2383	9h 05m	97%	84%
Delta Details →	DCA 16:00 → ATL 17:57DL 360	3h 02m Atlanta	ATL 20:59 → SJC 22:49DL 933	9h 56m	95%	79%
Delta Details →	DCA 17:50 → SLC 20:37DL 820	2h 08m Salt Lake City	SLC 22:45 → SJC 23:39DL 1272	8h 49m	96%	78%
United Details →	DCA 06:00 → IAH 08:13UA 1450	1h 47m Houston	IAH 10:00 → SJC 12:03UA 1882	9h 03m	99%	78%
Delta Details →	DCA 12:17 → ATL 14:07DL 380	3h 01m Atlanta	ATL 17:08 → SJC 19:07DL 2136	9h 50m	98%	76%
Southwest Details →	DCA 07:30 → MDW 08:25WN 1442	1h 40m Chicago	MDW 10:05 → SJC 12:30WN 3752	8h 00m	94%	75%
Tight connection: often missed
Delta Details →	DCA 16:36 → SEA 19:30DL 786	1h 00m Seattle	SEA 20:30 → SJC 22:48DL 3956 · flown by SkyWest	9h 11m	66%	50%
Delta Details →	DCA 15:00 → MSP 16:48DL 2863	1h 42m Minneapolis	MSP 18:30 → SJC 20:35DL 2087	8h 37m	73%	47%
United Details →	DCA 17:05 → ORD 18:30UA 654	1h 28m Chicago	ORD 19:58 → SJC 22:43UA 481	8h 38m	74%	46%

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 · 1h 20m · leaves 08:59 13%

ATL · 49m · leaves 06:59 18%

Afternoon and evening

DEN · 1h 05m · leaves 16:13 16%

SEA · 1h 00m · leaves 16:36 34%

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.


American AA 1966 DCA 08:40 → LAX Delta DL 3822 LAX 14:32 → SJC Connection details →	3h 13m	10h 06m	99%	93%
Alaska AS 1 DCA 08:00 → SEA Delta DL 3897 SEA 14:45 → SJC Connection details →	3h 47m	12h 04m	99%	83%
Alaska AS 5 DCA 09:59 → LAX Delta DL 1438 LAX 16:00 → SJC Connection details →	3h 33m	10h 18m	97%	81%

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