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

No clear winner: Southwest’s RDU → HOU flights land within a few points of 84% on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


Southwest	RDU	HOU	3h 00m	84%	0.8%	354	Flying now

Best connections, any airlines

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

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


Southwest Details →	RDU 06:10 → BWI 07:15WN 3422	2h 45m Baltimore	BWI 10:00 → HOU 12:15WN 956	7h 05m	100%	88%
Southwest Details →	RDU 08:05 → MDW 09:00WN 3432	1h 10m Chicago	MDW 10:10 → HOU 12:50WN 2783	5h 45m	97%	83%
Delta Details →	RDU 05:20 → ATL 06:44DL 1552	1h 36m Atlanta	ATL 08:20 → HOU 09:28DL 1509	5h 04m	98%	82%
Delta + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	RDU 06:00 → MCO 07:48DL 1337	1h 52m Orlando	MCO 09:40 → HOU 11:10WN 3174	6h 10m	93%	81%
Delta Details →	RDU 06:20 → ATL 07:48DL 1192	3h 17m Atlanta	ATL 11:05 → HOU 12:11DL 1195	6h 52m	99%	80%
Delta Details →	RDU 11:15 → ATL 12:42DL 1699	2h 29m Atlanta	ATL 15:11 → HOU 16:23DL 2381	6h 10m	99%	78%
American Details →	RDU 05:16 → DFW 07:27AA 2605	3h 24m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 10:51 → HOU 12:16AA 6413 · flown by SkyWest	8h 00m	99%	77%
United + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	RDU 08:30 → DEN 10:17UA 2383	2h 13m Denver	DEN 12:30 → HOU 16:05WN 1544	8h 35m	97%	76%
Tight connection: often missed
Southwest Details →	RDU 12:45 → DAL 14:25WN 936	1h 05m Dallas	DAL 15:30 → HOU 16:50WN 37	5h 05m	62%	39%
Southwest Details →	RDU 21:15 → BNA 21:45WN 3421	1h 00m Nashville	BNA 22:45 → HOU 00:50 +1WN 4474	4h 30m	61%	29%
Southwest Details →	RDU 19:50 → STL 20:55WN 3457	50m St Louis	STL 21:45 → HOU 23:50WN 4617	4h 57m	19%	10%

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 · 58m · leaves 05:16 11%

BNA · 52m · leaves 06:38 14%

Afternoon and evening

BNA · 1h 00m · leaves 21:15 39%

DFW · 55m · leaves 19:31 57%

STL · 50m · leaves 19:50 81%

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