Itineraries flown on 20+ days in the Jun 6 – Jul 31, 2026 schedule · each leg’s record Aug 2025 – Jul 2026

No clear winner: airlines and hours on this route all land within a few points of 82% on time.

Nonstops


United	DEN	MSO	2h 12m	82%	0.3%	1,190	Flying now
Frontier	DEN	MSO	2h 12m	86%few flights	0.0%	14	Not flying now

Best connections, one ticket

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

Ranked by chance you reach Missoula on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included. Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Delta Details →	DEN 05:40 → SLC 07:13DL 2544	3h 40m Salt Lake City	SLC 10:53 → MSO 12:37DL 4112 · flown by SkyWest	6h 57m	97%	90%
Delta Details →	DEN 12:45 → SLC 14:18DL 1553	1h 52m Salt Lake City	SLC 16:10 → MSO 17:49DL 3808 · flown by SkyWest	5h 04m	97%	87%
Delta Details →	DEN 06:00 → MSP 08:59DL 1129	3h 51m Minneapolis	MSP 12:50 → MSO 14:39DL 362	8h 39m	99%	84%
United Details →	DEN 15:43 → LAX 17:15UA 1195	3h 05m Los Angeles	LAX 20:20 → MSO 23:56UA 5370 · flown by SkyWest	8h 13m	100%	81%
Delta Details →	DEN 19:00 → SLC 20:38DL 2663	2h 17m Salt Lake City	SLC 22:55 → MSO 00:28 +1DL 1723	5h 28m	95%	79%
Alaska Details →	DEN 08:40 → SEA 10:42AS 317	2h 56m Seattle	SEA 13:38 → MSO 16:09AS 697	7h 29m	100%	79%
Delta Details →	DEN 16:05 → MSP 19:15DL 2271	2h 38m Minneapolis	MSP 21:53 → MSO 23:44DL 2610	7h 39m	98%	74%
Alaska Details →	DEN 06:00 → SAN 07:34AS 1617	49m San Diego	SAN 08:23 → MSO 12:11AS 2168 · flown by Horizon	6h 11m	90%	74%
Tight connection: often missed
Alaska Details →	DEN 18:15 → SEA 20:17AS 249	1h 10m Seattle	SEA 21:27 → MSO 23:56AS 560	5h 41m	71%	51%
United Details →	DEN 09:43 → SFO 11:25UA 1506	50m San Francisco	SFO 12:15 → MSO 15:38UA 5422 · flown by SkyWest	5h 55m	38%	22%

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 · 49m · leaves 06:00 10%

SFO · 50m · leaves 09:43 62%

Afternoon and evening

SEA · 1h 10m · leaves 18:15 29%

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.


Frontier F9 3219 DEN 06:00 → SLC Delta DL 4112 SLC 10:53 → MSO Connection details →	3h 22m	6h 37m	99%	91%
United UA 1963 DEN 11:40 → SLC Delta DL 3808 SLC 16:10 → MSO Connection details →	2h 57m	6h 09m	99%	89%
Frontier F9 1150 DEN 06:20 → MSP Delta DL 362 MSP 12:50 → MSO Connection details →	3h 27m	8h 19m	99%	85%

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