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 DAL → TPA flights land within a few points of 7 in 10 on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops


Southwest	DAL	TPA	2h 20m	71%	1.0%	1,286	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 (Tampa is 1 h ahead of Dallas). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Southwest Details →	DAL 06:00 → MDW 08:15WN 1355	1h 00m Chicago	MDW 09:15 → TPA 12:50WN 2907	5h 50m	90%	79%
Delta Details →	DAL 06:05 → ATL 09:15DL 516	1h 59m Atlanta	ATL 11:14 → TPA 12:45DL 1099	5h 40m	96%	77%
Southwest Details →	DAL 07:20 → STL 09:05WN 274	1h 00m St Louis	STL 10:05 → TPA 13:25WN 3986	5h 05m	84%	77%
Delta Details →	DAL 10:09 → ATL 13:20DL 441	3h 00m Atlanta	ATL 16:20 → TPA 17:51DL 1425	6h 42m	98%	71%
Southwest Details →	DAL 07:05 → BNA 08:50WN 1519	3h 00m Nashville	BNA 11:50 → TPA 14:40WN 684	6h 35m	96%	70%
Delta Details →	DAL 15:59 → ATL 19:14DL 512	3h 45m Atlanta	ATL 22:59 → TPA 00:31 +1DL 1560	7h 32m	97%	68%
Southwest Details →	DAL 16:40 → BNA 18:30WN 1277	2h 55m Nashville	BNA 21:25 → TPA 00:18 +1WN 2173	6h 37m	92%	67%
Southwest Details →	DAL 16:30 → HOU 17:45WN 41	3h 10m Houston	HOU 20:55 → TPA 00:10 +1WN 2090	6h 37m	99%	66%
Tight connection: often missed
Southwest Details →	DAL 15:15 → MSY 16:40WN 4793	1h 05m New Orleans	MSY 17:45 → TPA 20:20WN 3023	4h 05m	55%	27%
Southwest Details →	DAL 17:25 → STL 19:10WN 2921	50m St Louis	STL 20:00 → TPA 23:18WN 4619	4h 55m	36%	19%
Southwest Details →	DAL 14:05 → MDW 16:20WN 1358	55m Chicago	MDW 17:15 → TPA 20:50WN 4520	5h 45m	54%	14%

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

MDW · 1h 00m · leaves 06:00 10%

Afternoon and evening

ATL · 49m · leaves 12:19 25%

MSY · 1h 05m · leaves 15:15 45%

MDW · 55m · leaves 14:05 46%

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.


Southwest WN 1261 DAL 06:00 → ATL Delta DL 1099 ATL 11:14 → TPA Connection details →	2h 09m	5h 45m	98%	81%
Southwest WN 4394 DAL 10:45 → DEN United UA 2375 DEN 13:55 → TPA Connection details →	2h 10m	7h 48m	88%	75%
Southwest WN 434 DAL 08:20 → BNA American AA 3823 BNA 13:30 → TPA Connection details →	3h 20m	7h 04m	95%	73%

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