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

No clear winner: United’s SJC → IAH flights land within a few points of 3 in 4 on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


United	SJC	IAH	3h 53m	76%	0.0%	215	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 2 h ahead of San Jose). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Delta + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	SJC 20:19 → LAX 21:55DL 3883 · flown by SkyWest	2h 56m Los Angeles	LAX 00:51 → IAH 06:12 +1UA 491	7h 53m	99%	91%
Southwest + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	SJC 06:00 → SEA 08:20WN 3632	3h 35m Seattle	SEA 11:55 → IAH 18:35UA 2293	10h 35m	100%	90%
Southwest + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	SJC 06:30 → SAN 08:00WN 3489	2h 13m San Diego	SAN 10:13 → IAH 15:40UA 2165	7h 10m	100%	89%
Delta + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	SJC 14:59 → LAX 16:27DL 3842 · flown by SkyWest	2h 54m Los Angeles	LAX 19:21 → IAH 00:50 +1UA 387	7h 51m	98%	89%
Southwest + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	SJC 06:00 → LAS 07:35WN 2280	2h 50m Las Vegas	LAS 10:25 → IAH 15:40UA 1711	7h 40m	100%	88%
Southwest + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	SJC 10:25 → LAX 11:45WN 4877	3h 35m Los Angeles	LAX 15:20 → IAH 20:49UA 2377	8h 24m	100%	86%
Delta + Alaskatwo ticketsDetails →	SJC 11:29 → SEA 13:59DL 3736 · flown by SkyWest	3h 34m Seattle	SEA 17:33 → IAH 23:59AS 1579	10h 30m	98%	86%
Delta + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	SJC 07:00 → LAX 08:27DL 1654	3h 27m Los Angeles	LAX 11:54 → IAH 17:22UA 2086	8h 22m	100%	86%
Tight connection: often missed
American Details →	SJC 14:24 → DFW 20:06AA 436	1h 04m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 21:10 → IAH 22:24AA 2209	6h 00m	66%	31%

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 · 1h 13m · leaves 07:00 8%

PHX · 49m · leaves 06:01 19%

Afternoon and evening

SLC · 1h 12m · leaves 13:40 4%

SEA · 1h 06m · leaves 14:16 23%

DFW · 1h 04m · leaves 14:24 34%

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