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


Alaska	PDX	SAN	2h 37m	79%	0.9%	1,621	Flying now
Southwest	PDX	SAN	2h 25m	73%	0.0%	160	Flying now

Best connections, one ticket

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

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


United Details →	PDX 08:50 → DEN 12:24UA 2375	1h 06m Denver	DEN 13:30 → SAN 14:55UA 1302	6h 05m	98%	84%
Delta Details →	PDX 17:37 → LAX 20:03DL 2551	2h 37m Los Angeles	LAX 22:40 → SAN 23:40DL 3746 · flown by SkyWest	6h 03m	97%	83%
Alaska Details →	PDX 07:52 → SLC 10:45AS 2333 · flown by Horizon	3h 54m Salt Lake City	SLC 14:39 → SAN 15:46AS 3123 · flown by SkyWest	7h 54m	100%	83%
Delta Details →	PDX 11:20 → SEA 12:36DL 3818 · flown by SkyWest	2h 49m Seattle	SEA 15:25 → SAN 18:13DL 2613	6h 53m	99%	83%
Delta Details →	PDX 05:45 → SLC 08:39DL 1270	2h 36m Salt Lake City	SLC 11:15 → SAN 12:17DL 1296	6h 32m	100%	83%
United Details →	PDX 05:00 → DEN 08:31UA 459	2h 44m Denver	DEN 11:15 → SAN 12:41UA 1940	7h 41m	99%	81%
Delta Details →	PDX 17:24 → SLC 20:19DL 1244	2h 36m Salt Lake City	SLC 22:55 → SAN 23:50DL 1202	6h 29m	99%	81%
Delta Details →	PDX 05:30 → SEA 06:41DL 4008 · flown by SkyWest	3h 04m Seattle	SEA 09:45 → SAN 12:38DL 2533	7h 08m	98%	80%
Tight connection: often missed
Alaska Details →	PDX 08:19 → SEA 09:14AS 2108 · flown by Horizon	49m Seattle	SEA 10:03 → SAN 13:01AS 467	4h 42m	75%	45%
United Details →	PDX 07:00 → SFO 08:56UA 2818	1h 09m San Francisco	SFO 10:05 → SAN 11:51UA 2177	4h 51m	39%	26%
Southwest Details →	PDX 14:45 → DEN 18:20WN 2519	55m Denver	DEN 19:15 → SAN 20:40WN 1703	5h 55m	42%	8%

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 17m · leaves 05:50 3%

LAS · 1h 16m · leaves 07:37 4%

RDM · 1h 18m · leaves 10:45 5%

Afternoon and evening

OAK · 47m · leaves 17:33 16%

DFW · 1h 13m · leaves 11:54 20%

DEN · 55m · leaves 14:45 58%

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 4099 PDX 07:30 → DEN United UA 1302 DEN 13:30 → SAN Connection details →	2h 30m	7h 25m	100%	87%
Alaska AS 278 PDX 17:37 → LAX Delta DL 3746 LAX 22:40 → SAN Connection details →	2h 31m	6h 03m	97%	84%
Alaska AS 3112 PDX 10:55 → SLC Delta DL 1252 SLC 17:10 → SAN Connection details →	3h 11m	7h 11m	98%	82%

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