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

No clear winner: Southwest’s HOU → DCA flights land within a few points of 7 in 10 on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops


Southwest	HOU	DCA	2h 55m	71%	1.7%	1,052	Flying now

Best connections, one ticket

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

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


American Details →	HOU 06:03 → DFW 07:30AA 3395 · flown by Envoy	1h 20m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 08:50 → DCA 12:52AA 1177	5h 49m	95%	77%
Delta Details →	HOU 06:00 → ATL 09:05DL 2557	1h 55m Atlanta	ATL 11:00 → DCA 12:42DL 737	5h 42m	97%	76%
Southwest Details →	HOU 05:00 → MCO 08:25WN 4483	1h 20m Orlando	MCO 09:45 → DCA 12:00WN 1908	6h 00m	100%	75%
Southwest Details →	HOU 07:48 → OKC 09:10WN 4490	2h 15m Oklahoma City	OKC 11:25 → DCA 15:10WN 3010	6h 22m	98%	72%
Southwest Details →	HOU 08:10 → MDW 10:40WN 1294	2h 05m Chicago	MDW 12:45 → DCA 15:35WN 2761	6h 25m	100%	70%
American Details →	HOU 06:03 → DFW 07:29AA 5492 · flown by PSA	2h 27m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 09:56 → DCA 13:59AA 1624	6h 55m	89%	69%
Southwest Details →	HOU 07:00 → DAL 08:10WN 4	1h 10m Dallas	DAL 09:20 → DCA 13:15WN 2559	5h 15m	95%	64%
Delta Details →	HOU 10:16 → ATL 13:20DL 1509	3h 20m Atlanta	ATL 16:40 → DCA 18:33DL 950	7h 17m	99%	61%
Tight connection: often missed
American Details →	HOU 16:14 → DFW 17:38AA 5002 · flown by SkyWest	1h 15m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 18:53 → DCA 22:59AA 2752	5h 46m	64%	37%
American Details →	HOU 12:46 → DFW 14:09AA 6413 · flown by SkyWest	47m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 14:56 → DCA 18:59AA 3101	5h 13m	68%	33%
Southwest Details →	HOU 11:00 → BNA 12:55WN 1955	1h 00m Nashville	BNA 13:55 → DCA 16:45WN 4380	4h 40m	73%	33%

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

MCO · 1h 20m · leaves 05:00 0%

DAL · 1h 10m · leaves 07:00 5%

DFW · 1h 20m · leaves 06:03 5%

Afternoon and evening

DAL · 50m · leaves 15:00 32%

DFW · 1h 15m · leaves 16:14 36%

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.


Southwest WN 4483 HOU 05:00 → MCO American AA 2088 MCO 10:40 → DCA Connection details →	2h 15m	6h 59m	100%	91%
Southwest WN 1970 HOU 05:30 → DEN United UA 789 DEN 09:30 → DCA Connection details →	2h 35m	8h 29m	100%	91%
Southwest WN 2622 HOU 05:50 → ATL Delta DL 737 ATL 11:00 → DCA Connection details →	2h 10m	5h 52m	100%	80%

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