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 86% on time.

Nonstops


Delta	SAN	ATL	4h 22m	87%	0.7%	2,167	Flying now
Alaska	SAN	ATL	4h 31m	79%	0.5%	211	Not flying now

Best connections, one ticket

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

Ranked by chance you reach Atlanta on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included (Atlanta is 3 h ahead of San Diego). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Southwest Details →	SAN 19:55 → HOU 01:55WN 4675	3h 55m Houston	HOU 05:50 → ATL 08:50 +1WN 2622	9h 55m	98%	92%
Southwest Details →	SAN 21:40 → BWI 05:35WN 3486	2h 45m Baltimore	BWI 08:20 → ATL 10:20 +1WN 3931	9h 38m	100%	92%
American Details →	SAN 21:55 → PHL 06:13AA 1333	3h 19m Philadelphia	PHL 09:32 → ATL 11:53 +1AA 4338 · flown by Republic	10h 58m	99%	88%
Alaska Details →	SAN 18:35 → SEA 21:35AS 1431	1h 56m Seattle	SEA 23:31 → ATL 07:24 +1AS 464	9h 49m	100%	87%
United Details →	SAN 21:59 → IAD 05:59UA 2129	2h 16m Dulles	IAD 08:15 → ATL 10:14 +1UA 2739	9h 15m	98%	87%
Delta Details →	SAN 17:01 → SLC 20:00DL 1210	3h 35m Salt Lake City	SLC 23:35 → ATL 05:15 +1DL 912	9h 14m	100%	86%
Southwest Details →	SAN 21:55 → MCO 05:55WN 4874	2h 05m Orlando	MCO 08:00 → ATL 09:35 +1WN 2591	8h 40m	100%	86%
Delta Details →	SAN 21:54 → BOS 06:30DL 571	2h 35m Boston	BOS 09:05 → ATL 11:49 +1DL 456	10h 55m	98%	86%
Tight connection: often missed
United Details →	SAN 18:27 → SFO 20:07UA 1302	1h 13m San Francisco	SFO 21:20 → ATL 05:20 +1UA 1603	7h 53m	70%	59%
United Details →	SAN 06:40 → ORD 13:09UA 1069	46m Chicago	ORD 13:55 → ATL 17:10UA 356	7h 30m	59%	42%
Southwest Details →	SAN 13:20 → DEN 16:55WN 3496	2h 10m Denver	DEN 19:05 → ATL 00:55 +1WN 1472	7h 45m	70%	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

PHX · 1h 12m · leaves 06:20 9%

MIA · 1h 09m · leaves 22:25 12%

PHL · 47m · leaves 21:55 19%

Afternoon and evening

CLT · 1h 16m · leaves 13:19 17%

DFW · 50m · leaves 09:50 22%

SFO · 1h 13m · leaves 18:27 30%

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 4151 SAN 17:20 → DEN Delta DL 302 DEN 00:40 → ATL Connection details →	4h 00m	9h 22m	100%	91%
Southwest WN 3537 SAN 08:10 → SJC Delta DL 809 SJC 12:46 → ATL Connection details →	3h 04m	9h 25m	100%	91%
Alaska AS 3029 SAN 16:26 → SJC Delta DL 2136 SJC 22:00 → ATL Connection details →	4h 00m	10h 08m	100%	90%

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