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 CAE → DCA flights land within a few points of 73% on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops


American	CAE	DCA	1h 38m	73%	4.7%	1,092	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. Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


American Details →	CAE 05:00 → CLT 06:09AA 5855 · flown by Piedmont	1h 51m Charlotte	CLT 08:00 → DCA 09:29AA 1977	4h 33m	99%	87%
United Details →	CAE 06:25 → ORD 07:52UA 4496 · flown by GoJet	2h 08m Chicago	ORD 10:00 → DCA 13:04UA 1381	6h 39m	94%	79%
Delta Details →	CAE 05:35 → ATL 06:43DL 3038	2h 37m Atlanta	ATL 09:20 → DCA 11:08DL 380	5h 32m	98%	77%
American Details →	CAE 08:49 → CLT 10:07AA 6048 · flown by Piedmont	1h 07m Charlotte	CLT 11:14 → DCA 12:59AA 5527 · flown by PSA	4h 09m	96%	74%
American Details →	CAE 06:01 → LGA 08:00AA 4670 · flown by Republic	2h 47m New York	LGA 10:47 → DCA 12:17AA 4654 · flown by Republic	6h 16m	96%	73%
Delta Details →	CAE 06:40 → ATL 07:54DL 5061 · flown by Endeavor	3h 06m Atlanta	ATL 11:00 → DCA 12:42DL 737	6h 02m	94%	72%
Delta Details →	CAE 10:10 → ATL 11:16DL 1010	1h 53m Atlanta	ATL 13:09 → DCA 14:59DL 360	4h 49m	99%	69%
Delta Details →	CAE 07:01 → LGA 08:59DL 5131 · flown by Endeavor	2h 21m New York	LGA 11:20 → DCA 12:46DL 5749 · flown by Republic	5h 45m	95%	68%
Tight connection: often missed
Delta Details →	CAE 18:01 → ATL 19:13DL 2153	1h 42m Atlanta	ATL 20:55 → DCA 22:47DL 378	4h 46m	74%	48%
Delta Details →	CAE 15:54 → ATL 17:04DL 3193	51m Atlanta	ATL 17:55 → DCA 19:48DL 832	3h 54m	70%	39%
American Details →	CAE 16:10 → CLT 17:27AA 6046 · flown by Piedmont	55m Charlotte	CLT 18:22 → DCA 20:00AA 2386	3h 50m	71%	38%

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

CLT · 1h 07m · leaves 08:49 4%

ORD · 1h 08m · leaves 06:25 7%

LGA · 1h 03m · leaves 06:01 12%

Afternoon and evening

LGA · 1h 14m · leaves 16:05 23%

CLT · 55m · leaves 16:10 29%

ATL · 51m · leaves 15:54 30%

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.


American AA 4293 CAE 06:05 → ORD United UA 1381 ORD 10:00 → DCA Connection details →	2h 31m	6h 59m	97%	81%
United UA 4496 CAE 06:25 → ORD American AA 4809 ORD 10:45 → DCA Connection details →	2h 53m	7h 34m	94%	74%
Delta DL 3038 CAE 05:35 → ATL American AA 5050 ATL 08:58 → DCA Connection details →	2h 15m	5h 25m	96%	74%

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