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

Take the nonstop: United DSM → IAH (2h 27m) reaches Houston on time 85% of the time; the most reliable connection, American via DFW (4h 29m), 55%.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


United	DSM	IAH	2h 27m	86%	1.4%	727	Flying now

Best connections, any airlines

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

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


American + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	DSM 06:30 → DCA 09:59AA 3710 · flown by Envoy	3h 00m Washington	DCA 12:59 → IAH 15:18UA 382	8h 48m	96%	87%
Delta + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	DSM 05:35 → ATL 08:44DL 2727	2h 53m Atlanta	ATL 11:37 → IAH 12:47UA 425	7h 12m	97%	84%
United Details →	DSM 06:00 → ORD 07:40UA 1856	2h 45m Chicago	ORD 10:25 → IAH 13:23UA 2638	7h 23m	96%	82%
Delta + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	DSM 06:50 → MSP 08:12DL 5402 · flown by Endeavor	3h 53m Minneapolis	MSP 12:05 → IAH 15:00UA 1795	8h 10m	95%	80%
American + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	DSM 09:02 → ORD 10:44AA 4969 · flown by SkyWest	1h 56m Chicago	ORD 12:40 → IAH 15:40UA 1448	6h 38m	93%	79%
United Details →	DSM 11:34 → DEN 12:45UA 5288 · flown by SkyWest	2h 50m Denver	DEN 15:35 → IAH 19:10UA 489	7h 36m	100%	78%
Delta + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	DSM 06:08 → DTW 08:59DL 5414 · flown by Endeavor	1h 56m Detroit	DTW 10:55 → IAH 12:57UA 6251 · flown by Mesa	6h 49m	90%	77%
Southwest + Frontiertwo ticketsDetails →	DSM 13:30 → DEN 14:25WN 1770	3h 10m Denver	DEN 17:35 → IAH 21:14F9 3228	7h 48m	100%	75%
Tight connection: often missed
United Details →	DSM 17:17 → DEN 18:23UA 1781	1h 12m Denver	DEN 19:35 → IAH 23:06UA 475	5h 49m	73%	54%
American Details →	DSM 16:48 → DFW 18:59AA 2421	2h 11m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 21:10 → IAH 22:24AA 2209	5h 36m	69%	32%
American Details →	DSM 19:13 → DFW 21:15AA 1762	1h 32m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 22:47 → IAH 23:58AA 1914	4h 45m	64%	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

ORD · 1h 11m · leaves 06:00 4%

DEN · 1h 14m · leaves 09:14 10%

DFW · 1h 07m · leaves 05:18 13%

Afternoon and evening

ATL · 1h 01m · leaves 14:25 16%

ORD · 1h 10m · leaves 18:50 26%

DEN · 1h 12m · leaves 17:17 27%

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