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

No clear winner: airlines and hours on this route all land within a few points of 77% on time.

Nonstops


United	SNA	ORD	4h 11m	80%	0.6%	1,041	Flying now
American	SNA	ORD	4h 17m	75%	1.8%	1,148	Flying now

Best connections, one ticket

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

Ranked by chance you reach Chicago on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included (Chicago is 2 h ahead of Santa Ana). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Alaska Details →	SNA 18:09 → PDX 20:31AS 589	2h 28m Portland	PDX 22:59 → ORD 05:00 +1AS 376	8h 51m	100%	83%
United Details →	SNA 19:27 → SFO 21:05UA 5339 · flown by SkyWest	3h 45m San Francisco	SFO 00:50 → ORD 07:16 +1UA 1850	9h 49m	99%	83%
Alaska Details →	SNA 18:46 → SEA 21:34AS 454	2h 43m Seattle	SEA 00:17 → ORD 06:20 +1AS 328	9h 34m	100%	82%
United Details →	SNA 18:20 → SFO 19:51UA 2657	3h 39m San Francisco	SFO 23:30 → ORD 05:57 +1UA 368	9h 37m	98%	81%
United Details →	SNA 21:15 → EWR 05:33UA 2186	2h 26m Newark	EWR 07:59 → ORD 09:43 +1UA 2488	10h 28m	96%	79%
Alaska Details →	SNA 12:05 → SEA 14:54AS 548	2h 54m Seattle	SEA 17:48 → ORD 23:59AS 538	9h 54m	99%	79%
United Details →	SNA 06:45 → DEN 10:16UA 513	59m Denver	DEN 11:15 → ORD 14:55UA 2865	6h 10m	96%	78%
American Details →	SNA 19:32 → PHX 20:57AA 2685	3h 53m Phoenix	PHX 00:50 → ORD 06:25 +1AA 1148	8h 53m	97%	75%
Tight connection: often missed
United Details →	SNA 19:27 → SFO 21:05UA 5339 · flown by SkyWest	1h 33m San Francisco	SFO 22:38 → ORD 05:01 +1UA 2278	7h 34m	73%	56%
Delta Details →	SNA 11:44 → DTW 19:06DL 1856	54m Detroit	DTW 20:00 → ORD 20:31DL 1665	6h 47m	44%	27%

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

DEN · 59m · leaves 06:45 4%

PHX · 1h 03m · leaves 09:49 5%

SEA · 47m · leaves 06:47 17%

Afternoon and evening

DFW · 1h 16m · leaves 14:24 14%

PHX · 1h 13m · leaves 16:30 20%

DTW · 54m · leaves 11:44 56%

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 United UA 2102 LAS 23:30 → ORD Connection details →	3h 20m	8h 11m	100%	92%
Delta DL 3999 SNA 17:13 → SEA American AA 2881 SEA 23:56 → ORD Connection details →	3h 42m	10h 49m	100%	91%
Southwest WN 3872 SNA 18:45 → SMF American AA 3060 SMF 23:10 → ORD Connection details →	3h 00m	8h 48m	98%	90%

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