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 31% of the time at 7 pm.

Nonstops


Delta	MSP	DSM	1h 14m	78%	1.4%	1,254	Flying now

Best connections, one ticket

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

Ranked by chance you reach Des Moines on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included. Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


United Details →	MSP 05:45 → DEN 06:53UA 2041	59m Denver	DEN 07:52 → DSM 10:42UA 4801 · flown by SkyWest	4h 57m	96%	96%
Delta Details →	MSP 05:20 → ATL 08:48DL 1062	3h 37m Atlanta	ATL 12:25 → DSM 13:34DL 2094	8h 14m	99%	88%
United Details →	MSP 09:05 → DEN 10:21UA 1891	3h 09m Denver	DEN 13:30 → DSM 16:15UA 1311	7h 10m	99%	87%
American Details →	MSP 06:28 → ORD 08:20AA 4803 · flown by Republic	3h 10m Chicago	ORD 11:30 → DSM 13:05AA 4676 · flown by Republic	6h 37m	100%	87%
Southwest Details →	MSP 05:00 → MDW 06:30WN 2520	3h 40m Chicago	MDW 10:10 → DSM 11:30WN 1771	6h 30m	100%	86%
United Details →	MSP 06:00 → ORD 07:44UA 307	58m Chicago	ORD 08:42 → DSM 10:17UA 1803	4h 17m	90%	83%
United Details →	MSP 07:34 → ORD 09:18UA 567	3h 41m Chicago	ORD 12:59 → DSM 14:27UA 1781	6h 53m	100%	82%
Delta Details →	MSP 10:40 → ATL 14:05DL 1046	2h 32m Atlanta	ATL 16:37 → DSM 17:52DL 2086	7h 07m	98%	78%
Tight connection: often missed
United Details →	MSP 18:23 → DEN 19:45UA 467	1h 00m Denver	DEN 20:45 → DSM 23:44UA 5389 · flown by SkyWest	5h 21m	57%	47%
Delta Details →	MSP 16:15 → DTW 18:59DL 1476	46m Detroit	DTW 19:45 → DSM 20:41DL 5087 · flown by Endeavor	4h 26m	69%	43%
American Details →	MSP 17:47 → CLT 21:29AA 2151	1h 15m Charlotte	CLT 22:44 → DSM 00:09 +1AA 2241	6h 24m	73%	36%

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 · 59m · leaves 05:45 4%

ORD · 58m · leaves 06:00 10%

PHL · 59m · leaves 05:54 12%

Afternoon and evening

DTW · 46m · leaves 16:15 31%

ORD · 56m · leaves 15:56 32%

DEN · 1h 00m · leaves 18:23 43%

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 4071 MSP 05:58 → DEN United UA 5211 DEN 09:50 → DSM Connection details →	2h 48m	6h 49m	97%	89%
Delta DL 2849 MSP 08:55 → DEN United UA 1311 DEN 13:30 → DSM Connection details →	3h 25m	7h 20m	99%	87%
United UA 307 MSP 06:00 → ORD American AA 4676 ORD 11:30 → DSM Connection details →	3h 46m	7h 05m	99%	86%

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