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

No clear winner: United’s MSO → SFO flights land within a few points of 7 in 10 on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


United	MSO	SFO	2h 31m	71%	1.5%	131	Flying now

Best connections, any airlines

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

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


American Details →	MSO 16:44 → LAX 18:40AA 6270 · flown by SkyWest	3h 52m Los Angeles	LAX 22:32 → SFO 23:59AA 6510 · flown by SkyWest	8h 15m	100%	81%
United Details →	MSO 10:36 → DEN 12:48UA 5484 · flown by SkyWest	2h 59m Denver	DEN 15:47 → SFO 17:30UA 2633	7h 54m	100%	73%
United Details →	MSO 06:05 → DEN 08:11UA 1026	3h 10m Denver	DEN 11:21 → SFO 13:04UA 1561	7h 59m	100%	72%
Alaska + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	MSO 07:00 → SEA 07:32AS 2153 · flown by Horizon	2h 57m Seattle	SEA 10:29 → SFO 12:47UA 1482	6h 47m	100%	70%
Alaska Details →	MSO 07:03 → SEA 07:45AS 561	3h 57m Seattle	SEA 11:42 → SFO 14:04AS 655	8h 01m	100%	70%
Alaska + Deltatwo ticketsDetails →	MSO 11:22 → SEA 12:02AS 3100 · flown by SkyWest	2h 28m Seattle	SEA 14:30 → SFO 16:50DL 3707 · flown by SkyWest	6h 28m	98%	69%
United + Deltatwo ticketsDetails →	MSO 07:15 → LAX 09:17UA 4741 · flown by SkyWest	2h 43m Los Angeles	LAX 12:00 → SFO 13:26DL 2725	7h 13m	100%	67%
Delta Details →	MSO 05:55 → MSP 09:30DL 2907	1h 30m Minneapolis	MSP 11:00 → SFO 13:10DL 2074	8h 15m	97%	67%
Tight connection: often missed
Alaska Details →	MSO 17:00 → SEA 17:41AS 697	55m Seattle	SEA 18:36 → SFO 20:48AS 619	4h 48m	65%	19%

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 · 46m · leaves 05:31 14%

Afternoon and evening

SEA · 55m · leaves 17:00 35%

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