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

No clear winner: American’s SNA → CLT flights land within a few points of 9 in 10 on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


American	SNA	CLT	4h 37m	91%	1.4%	364	Flying now

Best connections, one ticket

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

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


American Details →	SNA 06:46 → PHX 08:19AA 628	3h 56m Phoenix	PHX 12:15 → CLT 19:29AA 2923	9h 43m	99%	85%
Frontier Details →	SNA 09:54 → DEN 13:18F9 4372	2h 34m Denver	DEN 15:52 → CLT 21:19F9 1362	8h 25m	98%	83%
United Details →	SNA 21:15 → EWR 05:33UA 2186	1h 52m Newark	EWR 07:25 → CLT 09:31 +1UA 3517 · flown by Republic	9h 16m	96%	83%
Delta Details →	SNA 21:00 → JFK 05:23DL 556	1h 47m New York	JFK 07:10 → CLT 09:17 +1DL 5052 · flown by Endeavor	9h 17m	98%	81%
United Details →	SNA 06:45 → ORD 13:09UA 587	1h 21m Chicago	ORD 14:30 → CLT 17:59UA 5757 · flown by SkyWest	8h 14m	98%	79%
Delta Details →	SNA 12:18 → ATL 19:41DL 1521	3h 00m Atlanta	ATL 22:41 → CLT 23:59DL 3177	8h 41m	95%	76%
American Details →	SNA 19:32 → PHX 20:57AA 2685	2h 38m Phoenix	PHX 23:35 → CLT 06:35 +1AA 849	8h 03m	94%	76%
American Details →	SNA 09:49 → PHX 11:12AA 2660	1h 03m Phoenix	PHX 12:15 → CLT 19:32AA 1225	6h 43m	95%	75%
Tight connection: often missed
American Details →	SNA 11:31 → ORD 17:55AA 2679	52m Chicago	ORD 18:47 → CLT 21:59AA 689	7h 28m	70%	45%
American Details →	SNA 11:56 → DFW 17:12AA 2672	47m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 17:59 → CLT 21:49AA 1703	6h 53m	65%	42%
Delta Details →	SNA 11:44 → DTW 19:06DL 1856	59m Detroit	DTW 20:05 → CLT 21:55DL 2352	7h 11m	53%	38%

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 · 1h 03m · leaves 09:49 5%

Afternoon and evening

ORD · 52m · leaves 11:31 30%

DFW · 47m · leaves 11:56 35%

DTW · 59m · leaves 11:44 47%

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 2477 SNA 19:00 → LAS American AA 2751 LAS 23:45 → CLT Connection details →	3h 35m	9h 04m	100%	91%
Southwest WN 3887 SNA 07:05 → PHX American AA 1678 PHX 10:06 → CLT Connection details →	1h 36m	7h 25m	100%	90%
United UA 2843 SNA 10:20 → DEN Frontier F9 1362 DEN 15:52 → CLT Connection details →	2h 09m	7h 59m	100%	84%

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