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

No clear winner: Southwest’s BUF → MDW flights land within a few points of 78% on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


Southwest	BUF	MDW	1h 40m	78%	1.3%	824	Flying now

Best connections, any airlines

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

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


Delta Details →	BUF 06:00 → ATL 08:10DL 2664	2h 55m Atlanta	ATL 11:05 → MDW 12:05DL 2417	7h 05m	99%	83%
American + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	BUF 06:00 → DCA 07:29AA 3668 · flown by Envoy	1h 56m Washington	DCA 09:25 → MDW 10:20WN 1444	5h 20m	96%	82%
Delta + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	BUF 06:05 → LGA 07:30DL 4670 · flown by Endeavor	3h 25m New York	LGA 10:55 → MDW 12:15WN 4573	7h 10m	97%	80%
Delta Details →	BUF 09:03 → DTW 10:18DL 3639 · flown by SkyWest	2h 07m Detroit	DTW 12:25 → MDW 12:46DL 4688 · flown by Endeavor	4h 43m	97%	79%
Southwest Details →	BUF 06:25 → TPA 09:10WN 769	1h 35m Tampa	TPA 10:45 → MDW 12:25WN 4033	7h 00m	100%	78%
Delta Details →	BUF 17:12 → ATL 19:25DL 2266	1h 50m Atlanta	ATL 21:15 → MDW 22:17DL 1076	6h 05m	94%	70%
Delta Details →	BUF 06:29 → DTW 07:42DL 2898	1h 08m Detroit	DTW 08:50 → MDW 09:14DL 4684 · flown by Endeavor	3h 45m	93%	69%
Southwest Details →	BUF 06:05 → BWI 07:20WN 756	2h 15m Baltimore	BWI 09:35 → MDW 10:35WN 4217	5h 30m	100%	68%
Tight connection: often missed
Delta Details →	BUF 16:01 → DTW 17:19DL 3642 · flown by SkyWest	48m Detroit	DTW 18:07 → MDW 18:25DL 4677 · flown by Endeavor	3h 28m	72%	43%

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

DTW · 1h 08m · leaves 06:29 7%

ATL · 59m · leaves 06:00 15%

Afternoon and evening

DTW · 48m · leaves 16:01 28%

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.

The table above includes two-ticket connections (marked “two tickets”), held to the 90-minute minimum. One ticket only →

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