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

No clear winner: American’s DCA → BDL flights land within a few points of 7 in 10 on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops


American	DCA	BDL	1h 26m	70%	5.3%	1,707	Flying now

Best connections, one ticket

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

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


American Details →	DCA 05:00 → CLT 06:26AA 365	1h 04m Charlotte	CLT 07:30 → BDL 09:28AA 1449	4h 28m	95%	88%
Delta Details →	DCA 06:00 → DTW 07:30DL 2869	3h 01m Detroit	DTW 10:31 → BDL 12:15DL 2163	6h 15m	98%	82%
Delta Details →	DCA 06:00 → ATL 07:48DL 410	2h 37m Atlanta	ATL 10:25 → BDL 12:45DL 1082	6h 44m	99%	82%
Delta Details →	DCA 09:39 → DTW 11:14DL 1558	3h 13m Detroit	DTW 14:27 → BDL 16:13DL 2814	6h 34m	99%	81%
United Details →	DCA 07:15 → ORD 08:28UA 2638	2h 35m Chicago	ORD 11:03 → BDL 14:24UA 2195	7h 09m	100%	79%
Southwest Details →	DCA 09:25 → MDW 10:20WN 1444	3h 10m Chicago	MDW 13:30 → BDL 16:35WN 692	7h 10m	100%	79%
Delta Details →	DCA 09:00 → ATL 10:52DL 455	3h 02m Atlanta	ATL 13:54 → BDL 16:14DL 2739	7h 14m	98%	76%
United Details →	DCA 10:30 → ORD 11:48UA 2201	3h 12m Chicago	ORD 15:00 → BDL 18:37UA 4791 · flown by SkyWest	8h 07m	99%	73%
Tight connection: often missed
Delta Details →	DCA 18:25 → ATL 20:30DL 850	1h 06m Atlanta	ATL 21:36 → BDL 00:07 +1DL 1011	5h 39m	72%	51%
Delta Details →	DCA 16:00 → ATL 17:57DL 360	59m Atlanta	ATL 18:56 → BDL 21:19DL 2504	5h 22m	72%	48%
American Details →	DCA 11:56 → CLT 13:35AA 1295	58m Charlotte	CLT 14:33 → BDL 16:32AA 1443	4h 37m	69%	46%

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

ORD · 1h 20m · leaves 08:25 5%

CLT · 1h 04m · leaves 05:00 5%

Afternoon and evening

ORD · 1h 18m · leaves 15:30 21%

ATL · 1h 06m · leaves 18:25 28%

PHL · 1h 12m · leaves 17:18 55%

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 3273 DCA 07:45 → MCO JetBlue B6 2938 MCO 12:45 → BDL Connection details →	2h 31m	7h 55m	99%	92%
American AA 3976 DCA 08:20 → ATL Delta DL 2739 ATL 13:54 → BDL Connection details →	3h 27m	7h 54m	97%	77%
American AA 3796 DCA 10:30 → MSP Delta DL 2285 MSP 14:26 → BDL Connection details →	2h 06m	7h 34m	90%	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