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 77% on time.

Nonstops


American	CAE	ORD	2h 32m	84%	4.9%	143	Flying now
United	CAE	ORD	2h 29m	76%	3.7%	1,068	Flying now

Best connections, one ticket

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 Columbia). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


American Details →	CAE 07:06 → CLT 08:24AA 5870 · flown by Piedmont	2h 37m Charlotte	CLT 11:01 → ORD 12:19AA 2908	6h 13m	100%	89%
American Details →	CAE 05:00 → CLT 06:09AA 5855 · flown by Piedmont	1h 37m Charlotte	CLT 07:46 → ORD 09:02AA 2843	5h 02m	99%	83%
American Details →	CAE 06:00 → DCA 07:40AA 5603 · flown by PSA	3h 55m Washington	DCA 11:35 → ORD 12:53AA 489	7h 53m	97%	75%
Delta Details →	CAE 05:35 → ATL 06:43DL 3038	2h 19m Atlanta	ATL 09:02 → ORD 10:13DL 1147	5h 38m	97%	74%
Delta Details →	CAE 10:10 → ATL 11:16DL 1010	1h 46m Atlanta	ATL 13:02 → ORD 14:16DL 1477	5h 06m	98%	73%
American Details →	CAE 08:49 → CLT 10:07AA 6048 · flown by Piedmont	2h 58m Charlotte	CLT 13:05 → ORD 14:20AA 836	6h 31m	100%	69%
American Details →	CAE 11:10 → CLT 12:22AA 6042 · flown by Piedmont	2h 13m Charlotte	CLT 14:35 → ORD 15:56AA 2080	5h 46m	97%	69%
United Details →	CAE 10:31 → IAD 12:09UA 4283 · flown by CommuteAir	1h 06m Dulles	IAD 13:15 → ORD 14:29UA 2331	4h 58m	84%	68%
Tight connection: often missed
American Details →	CAE 16:10 → CLT 17:27AA 6046 · flown by Piedmont	59m Charlotte	CLT 18:26 → ORD 19:51AA 2488	4h 41m	74%	35%
American Details →	CAE 18:38 → PHL 20:36AA 6084 · flown by Piedmont	56m Philadelphia	PHL 21:32 → ORD 23:30AA 3042	5h 52m	65%	34%
American Details →	CAE 20:30 → CLT 21:46AA 6043 · flown by Piedmont	53m Charlotte	CLT 22:39 → ORD 00:01 +1AA 3014	4h 31m	48%	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

CLT · 54m · leaves 08:49 7%

ATL · 1h 08m · leaves 06:40 17%

LGA · 48m · leaves 06:01 20%

Afternoon and evening

PHL · 56m · leaves 18:38 35%

DFW · 59m · leaves 19:23 41%

CLT · 53m · leaves 20:30 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.


American AA 5603 CAE 06:00 → DCA United UA 2201 DCA 10:30 → ORD Connection details →	2h 50m	6h 48m	94%	81%
American AA 5855 CAE 05:00 → CLT United UA 2771 CLT 08:05 → ORD Connection details →	1h 56m	5h 22m	97%	78%
Delta DL 1010 CAE 10:10 → ATL United UA 745 ATL 13:18 → ORD Connection details →	2h 02m	5h 31m	97%	76%

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