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 ATL → CAE flights land within a few points of 83% on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops


Delta	ATL	CAE	1h 02m	83%	1.5%	2,566	Flying now

Best connections, one ticket

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

Ranked by chance you reach Columbia on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included. Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


American Details →	ATL 06:00 → PHL 08:11AA 3270	1h 49m Philadelphia	PHL 10:00 → CAE 12:06AA 6094 · flown by Piedmont	6h 06m	99%	87%
American Details →	ATL 06:24 → CLT 07:55AA 5176 · flown by PSA	3h 16m Charlotte	CLT 11:11 → CAE 12:20AA 5994 · flown by Piedmont	5h 56m	97%	86%
American Details →	ATL 05:00 → CLT 06:25AA 5507 · flown by PSA	3h 10m Charlotte	CLT 09:35 → CAE 10:44AA 6042 · flown by Piedmont	5h 44m	96%	82%
United Details →	ATL 09:25 → IAD 11:15UA 632	1h 20m Dulles	IAD 12:35 → CAE 14:16UA 4288 · flown by CommuteAir	4h 51m	95%	78%
United Details →	ATL 05:30 → IAD 07:20UA 641	55m Dulles	IAD 08:15 → CAE 09:56UA 4818 · flown by CommuteAir	4h 26m	95%	76%
American Details →	ATL 11:11 → CLT 12:36AA 5039 · flown by PSA	2h 04m Charlotte	CLT 14:40 → CAE 15:45AA 6046 · flown by Piedmont	4h 34m	96%	72%
American Details →	ATL 12:25 → PHL 14:36AA 4338 · flown by Republic	54m Philadelphia	PHL 15:30 → CAE 17:36AA 6044 · flown by Piedmont	5h 11m	89%	68%
Delta Details →	ATL 08:30 → LGA 10:43DL 513	2h 32m New York	LGA 13:15 → CAE 15:25DL 5089 · flown by Endeavor	6h 55m	99%	64%
Tight connection: often missed
United Details →	ATL 14:41 → IAD 16:35UA 1831	46m Dulles	IAD 17:21 → CAE 19:09UA 4364 · flown by CommuteAir	4h 28m	62%	49%
United Details →	ATL 15:30 → ORD 16:57UA 516	58m Chicago	ORD 17:55 → CAE 21:16UA 4478 · flown by GoJet	5h 46m	72%	48%
American Details →	ATL 17:17 → ORD 18:53AA 4759 · flown by Republic	1h 21m Chicago	ORD 20:14 → CAE 23:19AA 4275 · flown by Envoy	6h 07m	67%	42%

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

IAD · 55m · leaves 05:30 5%

CLT · 50m · leaves 05:00 15%

Afternoon and evening

IAD · 46m · leaves 14:41 38%

LGA · 1h 01m · leaves 17:03 45%

DFW · 52m · leaves 17:34 62%

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.


Delta DL 3144 ATL 07:38 → CLT American AA 5994 CLT 11:11 → CAE Connection details →	2h 18m	4h 42m	95%	87%
Frontier F9 1004 ATL 05:05 → PHL American AA 6094 PHL 10:00 → CAE Connection details →	2h 41m	7h 01m	92%	81%
Delta DL 1324 ATL 07:43 → IAD United UA 4288 IAD 12:35 → CAE Connection details →	3h 09m	6h 33m	98%	78%

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