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 88% on time.

Nonstops


United	SAN	IAD	5h 08m	89%	0.7%	1,041	Flying now
Alaska	SAN	IAD	5h 11m	88%	0.8%	361	Flying now

Best connections, one ticket

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

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


United Details →	SAN 22:25 → ORD 04:36UA 1457	1h 54m Chicago	ORD 06:30 → IAD 09:24 +1UA 1689	7h 59m	98%	96%
United Details →	SAN 06:20 → LAX 07:21UA 1006	3h 18m Los Angeles	LAX 10:39 → IAD 18:48UA 2667	9h 28m	99%	89%
Delta Details →	SAN 22:15 → DTW 05:43DL 764	3h 07m Detroit	DTW 08:50 → IAD 10:23 +1DL 2884	9h 10m	100%	88%
United Details →	SAN 18:55 → DEN 22:27UA 519	1h 32m Denver	DEN 23:59 → IAD 05:27 +1UA 1924	7h 32m	95%	88%
United Details →	SAN 11:01 → SFO 12:47UA 2309	3h 47m San Francisco	SFO 16:34 → IAD 00:55 +1UA 1453	10h 54m	100%	87%
United Details →	SAN 06:35 → DEN 10:08UA 2368	3h 45m Denver	DEN 13:53 → IAD 19:22UA 347	9h 47m	100%	86%
American Details →	SAN 21:25 → CLT 05:12AA 1860	2h 08m Charlotte	CLT 07:20 → IAD 08:50 +1AA 5219 · flown by PSA	8h 24m	98%	86%
Delta Details →	SAN 22:30 → ATL 05:50DL 819	1h 53m Atlanta	ATL 07:43 → IAD 09:26 +1DL 1324	7h 58m	99%	84%
Tight connection: often missed
United Details →	SAN 19:41 → SFO 21:28UA 2278	1h 07m San Francisco	SFO 22:35 → IAD 06:58 +1UA 2837	8h 17m	42%	27%

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

LAX · 54m · leaves 06:20 9%

CLT · 1h 05m · leaves 22:28 12%

Afternoon and evening

SEA · 1h 08m · leaves 18:35 19%

ATL · 53m · leaves 14:18 21%

SFO · 1h 07m · leaves 19:41 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.


Alaska AS 707 SAN 21:06 → MCO United UA 276 MCO 08:55 → IAD Connection details →	3h 37m	11h 08m	100%	94%
Alaska AS 1473 SAN 06:18 → SEA United UA 2131 SEA 13:00 → IAD Connection details →	3h 41m	11h 48m	100%	93%
Delta DL 1210 SAN 17:01 → SLC United UA 726 SLC 23:59 → IAD Connection details →	3h 59m	10h 12m	99%	91%

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