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 4 in 5 on time.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


Delta	BHM	DTW	2h 05m	81%	1.5%	798	Flying now
Spirit	BHM	DTW	–	60%few flights	0.0%	10	Not flying now

Best connections, one ticket

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

Ranked by chance you reach Detroit on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included (Detroit 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 05m Chicago	MDW 07:55 → DTW 10:05WN 1775	4h 05m	100%	85%
Delta Details →	BHM 05:15 → ATL 07:21DL 1979	1h 57m Atlanta	ATL 09:18 → DTW 11:10DL 1298	4h 57m	99%	84%
Delta Details →	BHM 09:28 → ATL 11:29DL 3100	2h 18m Atlanta	ATL 13:47 → DTW 15:43DL 1031	5h 14m	99%	82%
Delta Details →	BHM 06:15 → ATL 08:21DL 1618	2h 39m Atlanta	ATL 11:00 → DTW 12:55DL 1240	5h 41m	98%	81%
United Details →	BHM 06:30 → IAH 08:30UA 4008 · flown by Mesa	1h 15m Houston	IAH 09:45 → DTW 13:42UA 4064 · flown by Mesa	6h 12m	91%	81%
Delta Details →	BHM 10:42 → ATL 12:46DL 3164	2h 42m Atlanta	ATL 15:28 → DTW 17:28DL 1005	5h 46m	100%	76%
American Details →	BHM 06:22 → ORD 08:49AA 4181 · flown by Envoy	1h 11m Chicago	ORD 10:00 → DTW 12:32AA 3498 · flown by Envoy	5h 12m	91%	76%
American Details →	BHM 05:06 → CLT 07:35AA 3269	3h 40m Charlotte	CLT 11:15 → DTW 13:01AA 1781	6h 55m	98%	76%
Tight connection: often missed
American Details →	BHM 18:42 → CLT 21:27AA 5077 · flown by PSA	1h 24m Charlotte	CLT 22:51 → DTW 00:41 +1AA 370	4h 59m	64%	47%
American Details →	BHM 17:47 → PHL 21:07AA 5064 · flown by PSA	57m Philadelphia	PHL 22:04 → DTW 23:59AA 5169 · flown by PSA	5h 12m	61%	39%
American Details →	BHM 16:49 → DFW 19:00AA 5329 · flown by PSA	55m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 19:55 → DTW 23:40AA 690	5h 51m	57%	36%

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

ATL · 54m · leaves 05:15 3%

DEN · 1h 15m · leaves 09:20 5%

PHL · 1h 10m · leaves 06:00 9%

Afternoon and evening

ATL · 53m · leaves 18:46 27%

PHL · 57m · leaves 17:47 39%

DFW · 55m · leaves 16:49 43%

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 442 BHM 05:00 → MDW Delta DL 4674 MDW 09:17 → DTW Connection details →	2h 27m	5h 35m	100%	84%
Southwest WN 430 BHM 05:30 → BNA Delta DL 2682 BNA 10:06 → DTW Connection details →	3h 36m	6h 19m	98%	82%
American AA 5218 BHM 06:00 → PHL Delta DL 2331 PHL 12:36 → DTW Connection details →	3h 16m	7h 22m	95%	82%

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