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

Connect in the morning. The same one-hour layover misses 1 time in 10 at 6 am and 27% of the time at 6 pm.

Nonstops


United	SFO	IAD	5h 12m	85%	0.7%	2,693	Flying now
Alaska	SFO	IAD	5h 09m	49%few flights	0.0%	37	Not 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 Francisco). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


United Details →	SFO 16:10 → DEN 20:01UA 1430	3h 58m Denver	DEN 23:59 → IAD 05:27 +1UA 1924	10h 17m	100%	93%
United Details →	SFO 21:13 → TPA 05:38UA 649	3h 22m Tampa	TPA 09:00 → IAD 11:22 +1UA 2331	11h 09m	100%	93%
United Details →	SFO 07:00 → SEA 09:22UA 1708	3h 38m Seattle	SEA 13:00 → IAD 21:06UA 2131	11h 06m	100%	93%
United Details →	SFO 16:25 → LAX 18:05UA 1754	3h 25m Los Angeles	LAX 21:30 → IAD 05:36 +1UA 2632	10h 11m	99%	93%
United Details →	SFO 23:59 → AUS 05:46UA 1807	1h 44m Austin	AUS 07:30 → IAD 11:48 +1UA 525	8h 49m	98%	92%
United Details →	SFO 23:30 → ORD 05:57UA 368	2h 43m Chicago	ORD 08:40 → IAD 11:52 +1UA 2277	9h 22m	100%	91%
United Details →	SFO 23:05 → IND 06:38UA 2477	3h 33m Indianapolis	IND 10:11 → IAD 11:55 +1UA 3709 · flown by Republic	9h 50m	100%	91%
United Details →	SFO 12:15 → LAX 13:55UA 1506	2h 54m Los Angeles	LAX 16:49 → IAD 00:55 +1UA 1573	9h 40m	99%	90%
Tight connection: often missed
United Details →	SFO 00:45 → IAH 06:34UA 604	46m Houston	IAH 07:20 → IAD 11:28UA 1549	7h 43m	63%	58%
United Details →	SFO 10:25 → DFW 16:08UA 2842	1h 07m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 17:15 → IAD 21:24UA 1240	7h 59m	69%	54%
American Details →	SFO 11:24 → DFW 17:14AA 1849	1h 30m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 18:44 → IAD 22:46AA 1132	8h 28m	72%	33%

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

LAS · 1h 02m · leaves 06:00 2%

IAH · 1h 18m · leaves 05:00 2%

MSP · 1h 08m · leaves 00:35 9%

Afternoon and evening

DFW · 1h 07m · leaves 10:25 31%

SAN · 1h 06m · leaves 19:00 32%

LAX · 53m · leaves 20:55 49%

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.


Delta DL 335 SFO 22:55 → DTW United UA 3500 DTW 10:13 → IAD Connection details →	3h 43m	9h 55m	99%	92%
Alaska AS 68 SFO 07:03 → SEA United UA 2131 SEA 13:00 → IAD Connection details →	3h 47m	11h 03m	99%	91%
Southwest WN 2222 SFO 06:05 → LAX United UA 2667 LAX 10:39 → IAD Connection details →	3h 04m	9h 43m	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