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 Houston on time 4 times in 5.

Best connections, any airlines

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


United + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	ORD 06:55 → MCI 08:42UA 6005 · flown by SkyWest	3h 13m Kansas City	MCI 11:55 → HOU 14:05WN 2555	7h 10m	100%	83%
Delta Details →	ORD 05:30 → ATL 08:33DL 1264	2h 32m Atlanta	ATL 11:05 → HOU 12:11DL 1195	6h 42m	98%	81%
United + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	ORD 05:00 → DEN 06:42UA 2666	3h 33m Denver	DEN 10:15 → HOU 13:55WN 1543	8h 55m	100%	80%
United + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	ORD 07:05 → DEN 08:55UA 1217	3h 35m Denver	DEN 12:30 → HOU 16:05WN 1544	9h 00m	98%	77%
American + Deltatwo ticketsDetails →	ORD 08:12 → ATL 11:14AA 1363	3h 57m Atlanta	ATL 15:11 → HOU 16:23DL 2381	8h 13m	99%	77%
American Details →	ORD 05:00 → DFW 07:30AA 760	3h 21m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 10:51 → HOU 12:16AA 6413 · flown by SkyWest	7h 16m	99%	76%
United + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	ORD 07:11 → LAS 09:19UA 574	2h 06m Las Vegas	LAS 11:25 → HOU 16:35WN 4724	9h 24m	98%	75%
United + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	ORD 07:00 → CHS 10:23UA 2795	1h 37m Charleston	CHS 12:00 → HOU 13:30WN 356	6h 30m	87%	74%
Tight connection: often missed
Delta Details →	ORD 11:23 → ATL 14:25DL 1147	46m Atlanta	ATL 15:11 → HOU 16:23DL 2381	5h 02m	69%	53%
American Details →	ORD 14:59 → DFW 17:36AA 2257	58m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 18:34 → HOU 19:51AA 3351 · flown by Envoy	4h 52m	63%	38%
American Details →	ORD 13:25 → DFW 15:59AA 1120	57m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 16:56 → HOU 18:19AA 6385 · flown by SkyWest	4h 54m	46%	28%

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

DFW · 55m · leaves 05:00 12%

Afternoon and evening

DFW · 57m · leaves 13:25 54%

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