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

No nonstop, and no clear pattern: the best connection reaches Fort Lauderdale on time 83% of the time.

Best connections, one ticket

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


United Details →	SNA 21:15 → EWR 05:33UA 2186	1h 27m Newark	EWR 07:00 → FLL 10:05 +1UA 1364	9h 50m	95%	83%
United Details →	SNA 07:45 → IAH 13:07UA 700	3h 28m Houston	IAH 16:35 → FLL 20:22UA 277	9h 37m	99%	83%
Delta Details →	SNA 21:00 → JFK 05:23DL 556	1h 37m New York	JFK 07:00 → FLL 10:03 +1DL 1422	10h 03m	96%	77%
Delta Details →	SNA 07:00 → SEA 10:05DL 3695 · flown by SkyWest	2h 40m Seattle	SEA 12:45 → FLL 21:40DL 338	11h 40m	99%	73%
United Details →	SNA 16:12 → SFO 17:50UA 5351 · flown by SkyWest	3h 25m San Francisco	SFO 21:15 → FLL 05:59 +1UA 1230	10h 47m	99%	73%
United Details →	SNA 06:45 → EWR 15:21UA 661	2h 09m Newark	EWR 17:30 → FLL 20:48UA 1907	11h 03m	99%	72%
United Details →	SNA 13:08 → DEN 16:30UA 2132	1h 15m Denver	DEN 17:45 → FLL 23:49UA 1374	7h 41m	86%	66%
Delta Details →	SNA 06:45 → ATL 14:19DL 721	2h 25m Atlanta	ATL 16:44 → FLL 18:42DL 1295	8h 58m	95%	65%
Tight connection: often missed
United Details →	SNA 11:58 → IAH 17:20UA 2050	1h 06m Houston	IAH 18:26 → FLL 22:04UA 1956	7h 06m	73%	56%
United Details →	SNA 18:20 → SFO 19:51UA 2657	1h 24m San Francisco	SFO 21:15 → FLL 05:59 +1UA 1230	8h 39m	65%	47%

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.

Afternoon and evening

DEN · 1h 15m · leaves 13:08 14%

ORD · 1h 06m · leaves 10:37 16%

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 187 SNA 10:55 → DEN United UA 1374 DEN 17:45 → FLL Connection details →	3h 35m	9h 54m	100%	77%
United UA 5351 SNA 16:12 → SFO JetBlue B6 278 SFO 20:38 → FLL Connection details →	2h 48m	10h 07m	97%	75%
Southwest WN 4296 SNA 07:45 → LAS JetBlue B6 1708 LAS 11:27 → FLL Connection details →	2h 22m	8h 40m	100%	75%

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