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

Connect in the morning. The same one-hour layover misses 17% of the time at 9 am and 28% of the time at 8 pm.

Nonstops


Delta	BNA	DCA	1h 51m	79%	1.6%	990	Flying now
American	BNA	DCA	1h 51m	72%	5.0%	1,688	Flying now
Southwest	BNA	DCA	1h 45m	71%	1.5%	1,678	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 Nashville). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Southwest Details →	BNA 06:15 → STL 07:35WN 679	55m St Louis	STL 08:30 → DCA 11:25WN 3905	4h 10m	95%	78%
American Details →	BNA 05:31 → CLT 08:00AA 1065	1h 21m Charlotte	CLT 09:21 → DCA 10:50AA 2825	4h 19m	98%	74%
Delta Details →	BNA 07:30 → ATL 09:44DL 2802	1h 16m Atlanta	ATL 11:00 → DCA 12:42DL 737	4h 12m	93%	73%
Delta Details →	BNA 06:15 → ATL 08:31DL 3001	49m Atlanta	ATL 09:20 → DCA 11:08DL 380	3h 52m	83%	66%
Delta Details →	BNA 09:48 → ATL 12:01DL 3069	1h 08m Atlanta	ATL 13:09 → DCA 14:59DL 360	4h 11m	92%	64%
Southwest Details →	BNA 10:05 → CMH 12:25WN 4427	1h 20m Columbus	CMH 13:45 → DCA 15:00WN 1185	3h 55m	93%	64%
American Details →	BNA 14:52 → CLT 17:30AA 1486	52m Charlotte	CLT 18:22 → DCA 20:00AA 2386	4h 08m	75%	40%
Southwest Details →	BNA 21:40 → MDW 19:10WN 578	1h 45m Chicago	MDW 20:55 → DCA 23:45WN 4496	1h 07m	84%	38%
Tight connection: often missed
Delta Details →	BNA 17:41 → DTW 20:29DL 2316	55m Detroit	DTW 21:24 → DCA 22:59DL 2073	4h 18m	72%	49%
Delta Details →	BNA 16:31 → ATL 18:49DL 3142	1h 06m Atlanta	ATL 19:55 → DCA 21:46DL 727	4h 15m	73%	40%
Delta Details →	BNA 14:51 → ATL 17:04DL 3159	51m Atlanta	ATL 17:55 → DCA 19:48DL 832	3h 57m	70%	39%

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

STL · 55m · leaves 06:15 5%

ATL · 1h 16m · leaves 07:30 7%

Afternoon and evening

DTW · 55m · leaves 17:41 28%

ATL · 51m · leaves 14:51 30%

MDW · 1h 00m · leaves 21:40 58%

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.

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