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 Houston on time 4 times in 5.

Best connections, any airlines

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


United + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	IAD 06:30 → DEN 08:22UA 2031	1h 53m Denver	DEN 10:15 → HOU 13:55WN 1543	8h 25m	100%	81%
United + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	IAD 08:25 → CHS 10:11UA 1108	1h 49m Charleston	CHS 12:00 → HOU 13:30WN 356	6h 05m	95%	81%
Delta Details →	IAD 06:00 → ATL 07:46DL 2127	3h 19m Atlanta	ATL 11:05 → HOU 12:11DL 1195	7h 12m	98%	80%
United + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	IAD 08:15 → DEN 10:10UA 792	2h 20m Denver	DEN 12:30 → HOU 16:05WN 1544	8h 50m	97%	76%
Delta Details →	IAD 10:21 → ATL 12:05DL 1324	3h 06m Atlanta	ATL 15:11 → HOU 16:23DL 2381	7h 04m	97%	74%
United + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	IAD 08:25 → SAT 10:59UA 1789	1h 51m San Antonio	SAT 12:50 → HOU 13:55WN 3566	6h 30m	95%	73%
American Details →	IAD 06:14 → DFW 08:35AA 2617	2h 16m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 10:51 → HOU 12:16AA 6413 · flown by SkyWest	7h 02m	95%	73%
United + Americantwo ticketsDetails →	IAD 08:30 → DFW 10:53UA 2471	3h 29m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 14:22 → HOU 15:44AA 5002 · flown by SkyWest	8h 15m	97%	69%
Tight connection: often missed
Delta Details →	IAD 08:27 → ATL 10:17DL 3080	48m Atlanta	ATL 11:05 → HOU 12:11DL 1195	4h 45m	73%	60%
American Details →	IAD 19:31 → DFW 21:50AA 1904	48m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 22:38 → HOU 23:56AA 5465 · flown by PSA	5h 25m	41%	18%

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

ATL · 48m · leaves 08:27 27%

Afternoon and evening

DFW · 48m · leaves 19:31 59%

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