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 CMH → DAL flights land within a few points of 4 in 5 on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


Southwest	CMH	DAL	2h 35m	80%	1.5%	535	Flying now

Best connections, any airlines

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

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


Southwest Details →	CMH 05:45 → BWI 07:05WN 4376	2h 30m Baltimore	BWI 09:35 → DAL 11:45WN 931	7h 00m	100%	88%
Delta Details →	CMH 06:00 → ATL 07:36DL 2469	2h 39m Atlanta	ATL 10:15 → DAL 11:24DL 1115	6h 24m	97%	86%
Delta Details →	CMH 10:02 → ATL 11:37DL 1479	2h 22m Atlanta	ATL 13:59 → DAL 15:03DL 512	6h 10m	97%	80%
Delta Details →	CMH 17:01 → ATL 18:41DL 2200	2h 34m Atlanta	ATL 21:15 → DAL 22:34DL 1104	6h 33m	96%	76%
Southwest Details →	CMH 05:10 → MCO 07:20WN 1193	2h 05m Orlando	MCO 09:25 → DAL 11:00WN 167	6h 50m	100%	73%
Delta Details →	CMH 12:48 → ATL 14:25DL 1522	2h 13m Atlanta	ATL 16:38 → DAL 17:55DL 2780	6h 07m	96%	73%
American + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	CMH 06:09 → CLT 07:39AA 3206	2h 56m Charlotte	CLT 10:35 → DAL 12:05WN 148	6h 56m	99%	71%
Southwest Details →	CMH 05:45 → DEN 06:50WN 1186	1h 55m Denver	DEN 08:45 → DAL 11:40WN 1360	6h 55m	98%	71%
Tight connection: often missed
Southwest Details →	CMH 16:25 → MCO 18:45WN 4918	50m Orlando	MCO 19:35 → DAL 21:20WN 1419	5h 55m	46%	23%
Southwest Details →	CMH 17:35 → BWI 19:00WN 1034	1h 00m Baltimore	BWI 20:00 → DAL 22:10WN 693	5h 35m	54%	20%
Southwest Details →	CMH 20:35 → STL 21:00WN 2614	50m St Louis	STL 21:50 → DAL 23:30WN 3904	3h 55m	55%	17%

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 05:45 2%

BNA · 55m · leaves 06:50 5%

MDW · 50m · leaves 09:00 12%

Afternoon and evening

STL · 50m · leaves 20:35 45%

BWI · 1h 00m · leaves 17:35 46%

MCO · 50m · leaves 16:25 54%

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