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


Frontier	CLE	TPA	2h 36m	78%	1.5%	889	Flying now
United	CLE	TPA	2h 41m	94%	0.0%	131	Not flying now
Southwest	CLE	TPA	–	71%few flights	0.0%	7	Not flying now

Best connections, one ticket

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

Ranked by chance you reach Tampa on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included. Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Southwest Details →	CLE 06:00 → BWI 07:20WN 1153	1h 10m Baltimore	BWI 08:30 → TPA 11:00WN 1120	5h 00m	100%	95%
United Details →	CLE 06:00 → IAD 07:15UA 1252	1h 45m Dulles	IAD 09:00 → TPA 11:32UA 683	5h 32m	99%	89%
Southwest Details →	CLE 07:05 → STL 07:40WN 1165	2h 25m St Louis	STL 10:05 → TPA 13:25WN 3986	6h 20m	97%	88%
American Details →	CLE 05:01 → CLT 06:42AA 2632	56m Charlotte	CLT 07:38 → TPA 09:22AA 3320	4h 21m	93%	85%
Delta Details →	CLE 05:35 → ATL 07:22DL 2734	1h 16m Atlanta	ATL 08:38 → TPA 10:08DL 1227	4h 34m	95%	84%
United Details →	CLE 11:10 → DEN 12:26UA 2246	1h 29m Denver	DEN 13:55 → TPA 19:33UA 2375	8h 23m	96%	82%
United Details →	CLE 07:00 → ORD 07:36UA 490	3h 43m Chicago	ORD 11:19 → TPA 15:12UA 1834	8h 12m	99%	81%
Delta Details →	CLE 07:05 → ATL 08:55DL 2838	2h 19m Atlanta	ATL 11:14 → TPA 12:45DL 1099	5h 40m	99%	80%
Tight connection: often missed
Delta Details →	CLE 13:00 → LGA 14:51DL 5045 · flown by Endeavor	48m New York	LGA 15:39 → TPA 18:54DL 2404	5h 54m	66%	44%
Delta Details →	CLE 17:15 → JFK 19:09DL 4975 · flown by Endeavor	50m New York	JFK 19:59 → TPA 23:23DL 1636	6h 08m	64%	44%

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

BWI · 1h 10m · leaves 06:00 0%

ATL · 1h 19m · leaves 08:05 5%

CLT · 56m · leaves 05:01 7%

Afternoon and evening

MIA · 1h 09m · leaves 19:08 18%

PHL · 1h 15m · leaves 15:03 21%

JFK · 50m · leaves 17:15 36%

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.


Frontier F9 2467 CLE 06:40 → ATL Delta DL 1525 ATL 12:46 → TPA Connection details →	3h 45m	7h 32m	98%	75%
United UA 5265 CLE 06:00 → ORD American AA 2920 ORD 09:30 → TPA Connection details →	2h 50m	7h 21m	94%	72%
American AA 4677 CLE 05:18 → LGA Delta DL 2195 LGA 10:40 → TPA Connection details →	3h 41m	8h 14m	99%	71%

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