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

No clear winner: United’s CVG → IAD flights land within a few points of 85% on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops


United	CVG	IAD	1h 35m	85%	1.4%	1,207	Flying now

Best connections, one ticket

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

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


United Details →	CVG 06:00 → ORD 06:36UA 5618 · flown by SkyWest	2h 04m Chicago	ORD 08:40 → IAD 11:52UA 2277	5h 52m	100%	92%
Delta Details →	CVG 05:34 → ATL 07:04DL 2441	2h 46m Atlanta	ATL 09:50 → IAD 11:39DL 1444	6h 04m	100%	84%
Delta Details →	CVG 07:05 → ATL 08:39DL 2302	3h 38m Atlanta	ATL 12:17 → IAD 14:02DL 2135	6h 57m	99%	84%
Delta Details →	CVG 06:19 → DTW 07:36DL 5307 · flown by Endeavor	1h 14m Detroit	DTW 08:50 → IAD 10:23DL 2884	4h 06m	94%	83%
United Details →	CVG 07:00 → ORD 07:34UA 2752	3h 33m Chicago	ORD 11:07 → IAD 14:12UA 1869	7h 12m	100%	82%
Delta Details →	CVG 11:03 → DTW 12:16DL 5209 · flown by Endeavor	2h 54m Detroit	DTW 15:10 → IAD 16:42DL 1787	5h 39m	98%	81%
Delta Details →	CVG 06:45 → JFK 08:50DL 5044 · flown by Endeavor	1h 26m New York	JFK 10:16 → IAD 11:48DL 5835 · flown by Republic	5h 03m	97%	81%
Delta Details →	CVG 11:00 → MSP 11:57DL 954	2h 33m Minneapolis	MSP 14:30 → IAD 18:04DL 3783 · flown by SkyWest	7h 04m	98%	78%
Tight connection: often missed
Delta Details →	CVG 16:26 → ATL 18:00DL 3169	1h 15m Atlanta	ATL 19:15 → IAD 21:03DL 1309	4h 38m	72%	53%

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

ATL · 1h 11m · leaves 07:05 4%

DTW · 1h 14m · leaves 06:19 6%

MCO · 1h 03m · leaves 07:15 8%

Afternoon and evening

ATL · 1h 15m · leaves 16:26 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.


Delta DL 5307 CVG 06:19 → DTW United UA 3500 DTW 10:13 → IAD Connection details →	2h 37m	5h 31m	98%	90%
Delta DL 2441 CVG 05:34 → ATL United UA 632 ATL 09:25 → IAD Connection details →	2h 21m	5h 41m	99%	86%
Delta DL 1600 CVG 07:35 → RSW United UA 2054 RSW 11:59 → IAD Connection details →	2h 04m	6h 55m	95%	85%

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