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

No nonstop, and no clear pattern: the best connection reaches Dulles on time 83% of the time.

Best connections, any airlines

Ranked by chance you reach Dulles on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included (Dulles is 1 h ahead of Houston). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Southwest + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	HOU 07:50 → MSY 09:00WN 1796	3h 17m New Orleans	MSY 12:17 → IAD 15:50UA 2497	7h 00m	100%	91%
Southwest + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	HOU 05:30 → LAS 06:30WN 2251	2h 18m Las Vegas	LAS 08:48 → IAD 16:24UA 1140	9h 54m	100%	87%
Southwest + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	HOU 19:10 → DEN 20:55WN 4639	3h 04m Denver	DEN 23:59 → IAD 05:27 +1UA 1924	9h 17m	93%	87%
Southwest + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	HOU 07:30 → MCI 09:25WN 1037	3h 05m Kansas City	MCI 12:30 → IAD 16:03UA 688	7h 33m	96%	86%
Southwest + Deltatwo ticketsDetails →	HOU 05:50 → ATL 08:50WN 2622	3h 27m Atlanta	ATL 12:17 → IAD 14:02DL 2135	7h 12m	100%	85%
Southwest + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	HOU 06:20 → PHX 06:55WN 2062	1h 55m Phoenix	PHX 08:50 → IAD 16:17UA 1873	8h 57m	95%	85%
Southwest + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	HOU 07:10 → MCO 10:35WN 4183	2h 56m Orlando	MCO 13:31 → IAD 15:50UA 2065	7h 40m	100%	82%
Southwest + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	HOU 07:15 → TPA 10:28WN 2088	3h 32m Tampa	TPA 14:00 → IAD 16:22UA 1576	8h 07m	98%	82%
Tight connection: often missed
American Details →	HOU 16:14 → DFW 17:38AA 5002 · flown by SkyWest	1h 06m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 18:44 → IAD 22:46AA 1132	5h 38m	62%	28%

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.

Afternoon and evening

DFW · 1h 06m · leaves 16:14 38%

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