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 San Francisco on time 7 times in 10.

Best connections, any airlines

Ranked by chance you reach San Francisco on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included (San Francisco is 2 h behind Houston). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Southwest + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	HOU 11:55 → LAX 13:20WN 2008	3h 50m Los Angeles	LAX 17:10 → SFO 18:38UA 233	8h 43m	96%	80%
Southwest + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	HOU 08:15 → DEN 09:45WN 1971	3h 40m Denver	DEN 13:25 → SFO 15:09UA 1812	8h 54m	100%	76%
Southwest + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	HOU 10:20 → DEN 11:50WN 1972	3h 57m Denver	DEN 15:47 → SFO 17:30UA 2633	9h 10m	100%	73%
Southwest + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	HOU 07:55 → SAN 09:05WN 3824	2h 50m San Diego	SAN 11:55 → SFO 13:41UA 2428	7h 46m	100%	72%
Delta Details →	HOU 06:00 → ATL 09:05DL 2557	3h 51m Atlanta	ATL 12:56 → SFO 14:50DL 750	10h 54m	99%	71%
Southwest + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	HOU 07:50 → LAS 09:00WN 1998	2h 30m Las Vegas	LAS 11:30 → SFO 13:12UA 574	7h 22m	98%	68%
Southwest + Deltatwo ticketsDetails →	HOU 07:30 → LAX 08:55WN 2007	3h 05m Los Angeles	LAX 12:00 → SFO 13:26DL 2725	7h 58m	100%	67%
Southwest + Frontiertwo ticketsDetails →	HOU 05:30 → DEN 06:55WN 1970	2h 52m Denver	DEN 09:47 → SFO 11:43F9 1229	8h 13m	100%	66%
Tight connection: often missed
American Details →	HOU 16:14 → DFW 17:38AA 5002 · flown by SkyWest	1h 50m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 19:28 → SFO 21:10AA 1430	6h 56m	73%	35%
American Details →	HOU 18:49 → DFW 20:15AA 6385 · flown by SkyWest	1h 19m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 21:34 → SFO 23:18AA 2430	6h 29m	69%	29%
Southwest Details →	HOU 14:10 → BNA 16:05WN 478	1h 10m Nashville	BNA 17:15 → SFO 19:55WN 673	7h 45m	58%	10%

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

DEN · 53m · leaves 05:30 9%

DFW · 1h 10m · leaves 06:03 10%

LAX · 1h 05m · leaves 07:30 12%

Afternoon and evening

DFW · 1h 19m · leaves 18:49 31%

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