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, one ticket

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.


Delta Details →	HOU 06:00 → ATL 09:05DL 2557	3h 51m Atlanta	ATL 12:56 → SFO 14:50DL 750	10h 54m	99%	71%
Delta Details →	HOU 13:10 → ATL 16:18DL 1195	1h 50m Atlanta	ATL 18:08 → SFO 20:05DL 517	8h 57m	91%	62%
Delta Details →	HOU 17:12 → ATL 20:28DL 2381	2h 12m Atlanta	ATL 22:40 → SFO 00:40 +1DL 656	9h 28m	92%	62%
Delta Details →	HOU 10:16 → ATL 13:20DL 1509	2h 15m Atlanta	ATL 15:35 → SFO 17:31DL 823	9h 21m	98%	62%
Southwest Details →	HOU 19:50 → PHX 20:32WN 982	2h 18m Phoenix	PHX 22:50 → SFO 00:55 +1WN 1098	7h 05m	100%	58%
American Details →	HOU 06:03 → DFW 07:30AA 3395 · flown by Envoy	3h 54m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 11:24 → SFO 13:06AA 2387	9h 03m	98%	54%
American Details →	HOU 09:30 → DFW 10:59AA 3573 · flown by Envoy	2h 16m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 13:15 → SFO 14:58AA 2997	7h 28m	98%	51%
Southwest Details →	HOU 15:58 → MDW 18:22WN 2042	3h 08m Chicago	MDW 21:30 → SFO 00:12 +1WN 2893	10h 14m	95%	46%
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.


Southwest WN 2008 HOU 11:55 → LAX United UA 233 LAX 17:10 → SFO Connection details →	3h 50m	8h 43m	96%	80%
Southwest WN 1971 HOU 08:15 → DEN United UA 1812 DEN 13:25 → SFO Connection details →	3h 40m	8h 54m	100%	76%
Southwest WN 1972 HOU 10:20 → DEN United UA 2633 DEN 15:47 → SFO Connection details →	3h 57m	9h 10m	100%	73%

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