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

No clear winner: airlines and hours on this route all land within a few points of 4 in 5 on time.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


Southwest	MSY	PHX	3h 30m	80%	0.2%	549	Flying now
American	MSY	PHX	3h 39m	78%	0.8%	381	Flying now
Frontier	MSY	PHX	–	75%few flights	0.0%	4	Not flying now

Best connections, any airlines

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

Ranked by chance you reach Phoenix on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included (Phoenix is 2 h behind New Orleans). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Delta + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	MSY 08:03 → LAX 10:10DL 2085	2h 55m Los Angeles	LAX 13:05 → PHX 14:42UA 5450 · flown by SkyWest	8h 39m	99%	95%
Southwest + Americantwo ticketsDetails →	MSY 06:20 → LAS 07:55WN 2192	2h 01m Las Vegas	LAS 09:56 → PHX 11:08AA 2004	6h 48m	96%	88%
Southwest Details →	MSY 05:10 → DEN 06:55WN 2991	1h 45m Denver	DEN 08:40 → PHX 09:35WN 431	6h 25m	98%	88%
Delta Details →	MSY 17:20 → LAX 19:18DL 2096	3h 17m Los Angeles	LAX 22:35 → PHX 00:10 +1DL 3827 · flown by SkyWest	8h 50m	98%	87%
Southwest + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	MSY 15:30 → LAX 17:30WN 3004	3h 52m Los Angeles	LAX 21:22 → PHX 22:59UA 5458 · flown by SkyWest	9h 29m	93%	86%
United Details →	MSY 09:53 → IAH 11:12UA 2105	3h 08m Houston	IAH 14:20 → PHX 15:10UA 1238	7h 17m	98%	85%
Delta Details →	MSY 13:30 → SLC 16:08DL 736	1h 17m Salt Lake City	SLC 17:25 → PHX 18:07DL 1451	6h 37m	95%	85%
Southwest Details →	MSY 07:30 → HOU 08:45WN 2995	3h 15m Houston	HOU 12:00 → PHX 12:40WN 2063	7h 10m	100%	85%
Tight connection: often missed
American Details →	MSY 16:41 → PHL 20:39AA 2061	1h 11m Philadelphia	PHL 21:50 → PHX 23:59AA 2721	9h 18m	69%	46%
American Details →	MSY 13:50 → CLT 16:58AA 2170	1h 25m Charlotte	CLT 18:23 → PHX 19:51AA 1073	8h 01m	68%	41%
Southwest Details →	MSY 17:40 → DEN 19:45WN 1743	1h 15m Denver	DEN 21:00 → PHX 22:00WN 1684	6h 15m	47%	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

DEN · 1h 05m · leaves 05:10 3%

ATL · 1h 11m · leaves 07:28 8%

DFW · 1h 15m · leaves 05:50 12%

Afternoon and evening

DFW · 1h 14m · leaves 19:58 50%

DEN · 1h 15m · leaves 17:40 53%

ATL · 50m · leaves 17:16 67%

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