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

No clear winner: Delta’s SNA → ATL flights land within a few points of 4 in 5 on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops


Delta	SNA	ATL	4h 11m	81%	1.1%	1,033	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 Santa Ana). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Delta Details →	SNA 17:13 → SEA 20:14DL 3999 · flown by SkyWest	3h 45m Seattle	SEA 23:59 → ATL 07:46 +1DL 652	11h 33m	100%	87%
Delta Details →	SNA 17:03 → SLC 19:59DL 1277	3h 36m Salt Lake City	SLC 23:35 → ATL 05:15 +1DL 912	9h 12m	100%	86%
Alaska Details →	SNA 17:32 → SEA 20:20AS 774	3h 11m Seattle	SEA 23:31 → ATL 07:24 +1AS 464	10h 52m	99%	86%
Southwest Details →	SNA 19:00 → LAS 20:10WN 2477	2h 40m Las Vegas	LAS 22:50 → ATL 05:45 +1WN 2179	7h 45m	100%	84%
Delta Details →	SNA 11:20 → SEA 14:24DL 3966 · flown by SkyWest	1h 41m Seattle	SEA 16:05 → ATL 23:59DL 560	9h 39m	96%	84%
Delta Details →	SNA 07:15 → SLC 10:15DL 1185	3h 20m Salt Lake City	SLC 13:35 → ATL 19:23DL 906	9h 08m	97%	82%
United Details →	SNA 16:12 → SFO 17:50UA 5351 · flown by SkyWest	3h 30m San Francisco	SFO 21:20 → ATL 05:20 +1UA 1603	10h 08m	99%	82%
Alaska Details →	SNA 10:28 → SEA 13:17AS 471	2h 48m Seattle	SEA 16:05 → ATL 23:59AS 727	10h 31m	100%	81%
Tight connection: often missed
United Details →	SNA 18:20 → SFO 19:51UA 2657	1h 29m San Francisco	SFO 21:20 → ATL 05:20 +1UA 1603	8h 00m	69%	57%
American Details →	SNA 06:46 → PHX 08:19AA 628	47m Phoenix	PHX 09:06 → ATL 15:56AA 1373	6h 09m	75%	44%
American Details →	SNA 12:55 → DFW 18:14AA 2669	1h 12m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 19:26 → ATL 22:36AA 3212	6h 40m	63%	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

PHX · 47m · leaves 06:46 25%

Afternoon and evening

ORD · 1h 04m · leaves 11:31 19%

SLC · 1h 15m · leaves 13:46 20%

DFW · 1h 12m · leaves 12:55 37%

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 3859 SNA 08:00 → SJC Delta DL 809 SJC 12:46 → ATL Connection details →	3h 26m	9h 35m	100%	91%
Southwest WN 2669 SNA 06:45 → SMF Delta DL 904 SMF 12:18 → ATL Connection details →	3h 53m	10h 17m	100%	89%
Southwest WN 4296 SNA 07:45 → LAS Delta DL 748 LAS 11:41 → ATL Connection details →	2h 36m	8h 02m	100%	88%

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