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 BHM → DCA flights land within a few points of 3 in 4 on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops


American	BHM	DCA	2h 08m	76%	4.7%	1,043	Flying now

Best connections, one ticket

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

Ranked by chance you reach Washington on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included (Washington is 1 h ahead of Birmingham). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Southwest Details →	BHM 05:00 → MDW 06:50WN 442	1h 25m Chicago	MDW 08:15 → DCA 11:10WN 2569	5h 10m	100%	91%
American Details →	BHM 06:05 → MIA 09:07AA 3423 · flown by Envoy	2h 52m Miami	MIA 11:59 → DCA 14:44AA 1606	7h 39m	98%	84%
United Details →	BHM 06:30 → IAH 08:30UA 4008 · flown by Mesa	1h 17m Houston	IAH 09:47 → DCA 13:57UA 2670	6h 27m	91%	79%
Delta Details →	BHM 05:15 → ATL 07:21DL 1979	3h 39m Atlanta	ATL 11:00 → DCA 12:42DL 737	6h 27m	100%	79%
American Details →	BHM 05:00 → DFW 07:13AA 4127 · flown by Envoy	1h 37m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 08:50 → DCA 12:52AA 1177	6h 52m	93%	77%
American Details →	BHM 06:22 → ORD 08:49AA 4181 · flown by Envoy	1h 56m Chicago	ORD 10:45 → DCA 13:59AA 4809 · flown by Republic	6h 37m	95%	74%
American Details →	BHM 05:06 → CLT 07:35AA 3269	3h 39m Charlotte	CLT 11:14 → DCA 12:59AA 5527 · flown by PSA	6h 52m	98%	73%
Delta Details →	BHM 06:15 → ATL 08:21DL 1618	59m Atlanta	ATL 09:20 → DCA 11:08DL 380	3h 52m	88%	69%
Tight connection: often missed
American Details →	BHM 16:49 → DFW 19:00AA 5329 · flown by PSA	1h 00m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 20:00 → DCA 23:59AA 2077	6h 10m	61%	36%
American Details →	BHM 18:42 → CLT 21:27AA 5077 · flown by PSA	1h 01m Charlotte	CLT 22:28 → DCA 23:53AA 1269	4h 12m	48%	29%
American Details →	BHM 14:45 → CLT 17:29AA 5075 · flown by PSA	53m Charlotte	CLT 18:22 → DCA 20:00AA 2386	4h 15m	53%	28%

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

DAL · 1h 20m · leaves 06:15 5%

IAH · 1h 17m · leaves 06:30 9%

ATL · 59m · leaves 06:15 12%

Afternoon and evening

ATL · 55m · leaves 18:46 27%

DFW · 1h 00m · leaves 16:49 39%

CLT · 1h 01m · leaves 18:42 52%

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 1979 BHM 05:15 → ATL American AA 5050 ATL 08:58 → DCA Connection details →	1h 37m	4h 45m	96%	75%
Southwest WN 440 BHM 06:50 → MCO American AA 2104 MCO 12:13 → DCA Connection details →	2h 48m	6h 41m	98%	74%
Delta DL 1618 BHM 06:15 → ATL American AA 3976 ATL 10:57 → DCA Connection details →	2h 36m	5h 40m	97%	69%

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