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 Oakland on time 7 times in 10.

Best connections, any airlines

Ranked by chance you reach Oakland on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included (Oakland is 3 h behind Dulles). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


United + Deltatwo ticketsDetails →	IAD 17:50 → SLC 20:46UA 2410	2h 04m Salt Lake City	SLC 22:50 → OAK 23:50DL 3797 · flown by SkyWest	9h 01m	87%	81%
Delta + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	IAD 07:15 → SLC 09:52DL 432	3h 08m Salt Lake City	SLC 13:00 → OAK 13:50WN 2951	9h 35m	96%	80%
United + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	IAD 07:00 → LAX 09:26UA 325	2h 29m Los Angeles	LAX 11:55 → OAK 13:15WN 4893	9h 15m	99%	80%
United + Alaskatwo ticketsDetails →	IAD 08:26 → SAN 10:49UA 1930	1h 41m San Diego	SAN 12:30 → OAK 14:10AS 3218 · flown by SkyWest	8h 44m	92%	77%
United + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	IAD 13:10 → LAX 15:42UA 1689	2h 03m Los Angeles	LAX 17:45 → OAK 19:05WN 2418	8h 55m	96%	76%
Alaska Details →	IAD 06:03 → SEA 08:48AS 409	2h 53m Seattle	SEA 11:41 → OAK 13:59AS 1328	10h 56m	98%	70%
United + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	IAD 06:30 → DEN 08:22UA 2031	2h 23m Denver	DEN 10:45 → OAK 12:18WN 1577	8h 47m	100%	66%
United + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	IAD 13:00 → LAS 15:09UA 2156	2h 01m Las Vegas	LAS 17:10 → OAK 18:45WN 2286	8h 45m	95%	64%

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

SLC · 53m · leaves 07:15 21%

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