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

Connect in the morning. The same one-hour layover misses 1 time in 10 at 8 am and 23% of the time at 4 pm.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


American	LAX	DSM	3h 35m	88%	0.0%	300	Flying now

Best connections, any airlines

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

Ranked by chance you reach Des Moines on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included (Des Moines is 2 h ahead of Los Angeles). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


United Details →	LAX 23:30 → ORD 05:46UA 1962	2h 56m Chicago	ORD 08:42 → DSM 10:17 +1UA 1803	8h 47m	100%	95%
United Details →	LAX 05:00 → DEN 08:22UA 1010	1h 28m Denver	DEN 09:50 → DSM 12:47UA 5211 · flown by SkyWest	5h 47m	100%	92%
Southwest + Allegianttwo ticketsDetails →	LAX 11:10 → LAS 12:25WN 991	3h 19m Las Vegas	LAS 15:44 → DSM 20:43G4 8	7h 33m	100%	88%
Southwest Details →	LAX 05:55 → DEN 09:20WN 2943	2h 45m Denver	DEN 12:05 → DSM 14:50WN 1524	6h 55m	100%	88%
American + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	LAX 07:42 → DEN 11:14AA 4957 · flown by SkyWest	2h 16m Denver	DEN 13:30 → DSM 16:15UA 1311	6h 33m	99%	88%
American Details →	LAX 23:48 → DFW 05:01AA 3136	2h 10m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 07:11 → DSM 09:11 +1AA 3495 · flown by Envoy	7h 23m	94%	86%
Delta Details →	LAX 22:45 → ATL 06:07DL 899	3h 26m Atlanta	ATL 09:33 → DSM 10:45 +1DL 1704	10h 01m	99%	84%
Delta Details →	LAX 22:20 → DTW 05:43DL 407	3h 02m Detroit	DTW 08:45 → DSM 09:44 +1DL 5058 · flown by Endeavor	9h 24m	99%	82%
Tight connection: often missed
American Details →	LAX 01:15 → DFW 06:23AA 1445	48m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 07:11 → DSM 09:11AA 3495 · flown by Envoy	5h 56m	74%	64%
American Details →	LAX 13:58 → CLT 21:55AA 1988	49m Charlotte	CLT 22:44 → DSM 00:09 +1AA 2241	8h 13m	66%	34%
American Details →	LAX 08:00 → DFW 13:16AA 2317	52m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 14:08 → DSM 16:00AA 2421	6h 00m	71%	34%

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

PHX · 53m · leaves 06:19 9%

MSP · 51m · leaves 06:25 11%

DFW · 48m · leaves 01:15 26%

Afternoon and evening

ORD · 1h 01m · leaves 09:31 24%

CLT · 49m · leaves 13:58 34%

DEN · 1h 17m · leaves 14:45 44%

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