tailodds FORECAST
Tickets
Any day
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 7% of the time at 10 am and 1 time in 4 at 6 pm.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)

Nonstop details →
American DSM LAX 3h 57m 72% 0.3% 303 Flying now

Best connections, any airlines

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

Ranked by chance you reach Los Angeles on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included (Los Angeles is 2 h behind Des Moines). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.
American + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails → DSM 14:25 → PHX 15:26AA 2516 3h 28m Phoenix PHX 18:54 → LAX 20:31UA 4722 · flown by SkyWest 8h 06m 96% 92%
DeltaDetails → DSM 05:35 → ATL 08:44DL 2727 2h 46m Atlanta ATL 11:30 → LAX 13:05DL 326 9h 33m 98% 88%
UnitedDetails → DSM 09:14 → DEN 10:20UA 1521 3h 06m Denver DEN 13:26 → LAX 14:57UA 774 7h 43m 97% 88%
SouthwestDetails → DSM 06:10 → DEN 07:00WN 1769 2h 35m Denver DEN 09:35 → LAX 11:05WN 1569 6h 55m 95% 86%
UnitedDetails → DSM 05:50 → DEN 06:59UA 4777 · flown by SkyWest 3h 03m Denver DEN 10:02 → LAX 11:34UA 405 7h 44m 96% 86%
UnitedDetails → DSM 06:20 → IAH 08:49UA 1982 3h 44m Houston IAH 12:33 → LAX 14:06UA 2460 9h 46m 99% 84%
DeltaDetails → DSM 10:54 → MSP 12:06DL 4998 · flown by Endeavor 3h 39m Minneapolis MSP 15:45 → LAX 17:37DL 2114 8h 43m 99% 84%
American + Deltatwo ticketsDetails → DSM 05:45 → PHX 06:45AA 1795 3h 50m Phoenix PHX 10:35 → LAX 12:11DL 4119 · flown by SkyWest 8h 26m 96% 84%
Tight connection: often missed
SouthwestDetails → DSM 06:10 → DEN 07:00WN 1769 50m Denver DEN 07:50 → LAX 09:20WN 1568 5h 10m 71% 58%
AmericanDetails → DSM 19:13 → DFW 21:15AA 1762 1h 16m Dallas-Fort Worth DFW 22:31 → LAX 23:45AA 1504 6h 32m 60% 31%
AmericanDetails → DSM 16:48 → DFW 18:59AA 2421 1h 50m Dallas-Fort Worth DFW 20:49 → LAX 22:03AA 1084 7h 15m 64% 26%

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 08m · leaves 06:00 4%
IAH · 1h 04m · leaves 06:20 8%
PHL · 1h 16m · leaves 06:02 10%
Afternoon and evening
PHL · 56m · leaves 13:04 31%
DFW · 1h 16m · leaves 19:13 40%
ORD · 1h 00m · leaves 18:50 53%

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