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)


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

Best connections, one ticket

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.


Delta Details →	DSM 05:35 → ATL 08:44DL 2727	2h 46m Atlanta	ATL 11:30 → LAX 13:05DL 326	9h 33m	98%	88%
United Details →	DSM 09:14 → DEN 10:20UA 1521	3h 06m Denver	DEN 13:26 → LAX 14:57UA 774	7h 43m	97%	88%
Southwest Details →	DSM 06:10 → DEN 07:00WN 1769	2h 35m Denver	DEN 09:35 → LAX 11:05WN 1569	6h 55m	95%	86%
United Details →	DSM 05:50 → DEN 06:59UA 4777 · flown by SkyWest	3h 03m Denver	DEN 10:02 → LAX 11:34UA 405	7h 44m	96%	86%
United Details →	DSM 06:20 → IAH 08:49UA 1982	3h 44m Houston	IAH 12:33 → LAX 14:06UA 2460	9h 46m	99%	84%
Delta Details →	DSM 10:54 → MSP 12:06DL 4998 · flown by Endeavor	3h 39m Minneapolis	MSP 15:45 → LAX 17:37DL 2114	8h 43m	99%	84%
United Details →	DSM 11:34 → DEN 12:45UA 5288 · flown by SkyWest	2h 58m Denver	DEN 15:43 → LAX 17:15UA 1195	7h 41m	100%	83%
Delta Details →	DSM 06:50 → MSP 08:12DL 5402 · flown by Endeavor	3h 28m Minneapolis	MSP 11:40 → LAX 13:34DL 2119	8h 44m	96%	83%
Tight connection: often missed
Southwest Details →	DSM 06:10 → DEN 07:00WN 1769	50m Denver	DEN 07:50 → LAX 09:20WN 1568	5h 10m	71%	58%
American Details →	DSM 19:13 → DFW 21:15AA 1762	1h 16m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 22:31 → LAX 23:45AA 1504	6h 32m	60%	31%
American Details →	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.


American AA 2516 DSM 14:25 → PHX United UA 4722 PHX 18:54 → LAX Connection details →	3h 28m	8h 06m	96%	92%
Southwest WN 1769 DSM 06:10 → DEN United UA 405 DEN 10:02 → LAX Connection details →	3h 02m	7h 24m	93%	85%
United UA 4777 DSM 05:50 → DEN Southwest WN 1569 DEN 09:35 → LAX Connection details →	2h 36m	7h 15m	94%	84%

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