No nonstop, and no clear pattern: the best connection reaches Houston on time 82% of the time.
Best connections, any airlines
Ranked by chance you reach Houston on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included (Houston is 2 h ahead of Santa Ana). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.
| SouthwestDetails → | SNA 06:45 → SJC 08:15WN 3858 | 1h 05m San Jose | SJC 09:20 → HOU 15:10WN 3673 | 6h 25m | 100% | 82% |
| SouthwestDetails → | SNA 07:00 → DEN 10:25WN 4011 | 2h 05m Denver | DEN 12:30 → HOU 16:05WN 1544 | 7h 05m | 100% | 79% |
| SouthwestDetails → | SNA 07:45 → LAS 09:05WN 4296 | 2h 20m Las Vegas | LAS 11:25 → HOU 16:35WN 4724 | 6h 50m | 100% | 76% |
| SouthwestDetails → | SNA 06:45 → SMF 08:25WN 2669 | 2h 35m Sacramento | SMF 11:00 → HOU 16:45WN 3782 | 8h 00m | 100% | 71% |
| AmericanDetails → | SNA 06:46 → DFW 12:02AA 1382 | 2h 20m Dallas-Fort Worth | DFW 14:22 → HOU 15:44AA 5002 · flown by SkyWest | 6h 59m | 98% | 68% |
| SouthwestDetails → | SNA 07:05 → PHX 08:30WN 3887 | 1h 55m Phoenix | PHX 10:25 → HOU 15:05WN 3067 | 6h 00m | 100% | 67% |
| AmericanDetails → | SNA 14:24 → DFW 19:44AA 2684 | 3h 00m Dallas-Fort Worth | DFW 22:44 → HOU 23:59AA 3394 · flown by Envoy | 7h 35m | 96% | 66% |
| SouthwestDetails → | SNA 06:45 → DAL 11:55WN 4320 | 3h 35m Dallas | DAL 15:30 → HOU 16:50WN 37 | 8h 05m | 100% | 63% |
| Tight connection: often missed | ||||||
| DeltaDetails → | SNA 06:45 → ATL 14:19DL 721 | 52m Atlanta | ATL 15:11 → HOU 16:23DL 2381 | 7h 40m | 72% | 56% |
| AmericanDetails → | SNA 16:34 → DFW 21:49AA 2688 | 49m Dallas-Fort Worth | DFW 22:38 → HOU 23:56AA 5465 · flown by PSA | 5h 22m | 57% | 25% |
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.
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
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.
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