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

Connect in the morning. The same one-hour layover misses 5% of the time at 9 am and 1 time in 3 at 5 pm.

Nonstops


American	DCA	CAE	1h 41m	68%	5.1%	1,091	Flying now

Best connections, one ticket

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

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


Delta Details →	DCA 06:00 → ATL 07:48DL 410	2h 17m Atlanta	ATL 10:05 → CAE 11:14DL 5091 · flown by Endeavor	5h 16m	99%	89%
American Details →	DCA 06:18 → CLT 07:57AA 1581	3h 14m Charlotte	CLT 11:11 → CAE 12:20AA 5994 · flown by Piedmont	6h 02m	97%	87%
Delta Details →	DCA 06:59 → ATL 08:51DL 330	3h 09m Atlanta	ATL 12:00 → CAE 13:02DL 2944	6h 03m	99%	86%
American Details →	DCA 05:00 → CLT 06:26AA 365	3h 09m Charlotte	CLT 09:35 → CAE 10:44AA 6042 · flown by Piedmont	5h 44m	99%	84%
United Details →	DCA 06:00 → EWR 07:19UA 4167 · flown by GoJet	1h 11m Newark	EWR 08:30 → CAE 10:39UA 4191 · flown by GoJet	4h 39m	95%	79%
Delta Details →	DCA 09:00 → ATL 10:52DL 455	3h 13m Atlanta	ATL 14:05 → CAE 15:09DL 3193	6h 09m	98%	79%
American Details →	DCA 08:30 → CLT 10:13AA 1518	2h 49m Charlotte	CLT 13:02 → CAE 14:07AA 6047 · flown by Piedmont	5h 37m	95%	75%
United Details →	DCA 10:30 → ORD 11:48UA 2201	2h 07m Chicago	ORD 13:55 → CAE 17:05UA 4523 · flown by GoJet	6h 35m	98%	72%
Tight connection: often missed
Delta Details →	DCA 19:35 → ATL 21:35DL 950	1h 06m Atlanta	ATL 22:41 → CAE 23:46DL 3029	4h 11m	73%	56%
American Details →	DCA 11:59 → DFW 14:24AA 1623	53m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 15:17 → CAE 18:50AA 3449 · flown by Envoy	6h 51m	69%	52%
United Details →	DCA 15:30 → ORD 16:52UA 1325	1h 03m Chicago	ORD 17:55 → CAE 21:16UA 4478 · flown by GoJet	5h 46m	68%	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

ATL · 1h 14m · leaves 06:59 5%

EWR · 1h 11m · leaves 06:00 5%

CLT · 49m · leaves 05:00 10%

Afternoon and evening

ATL · 1h 06m · leaves 19:35 27%

ORD · 1h 03m · leaves 15:30 32%

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 4969 DCA 06:55 → ATL Delta DL 2944 ATL 12:00 → CAE Connection details →	3h 10m	6h 07m	100%	88%
American AA 3976 DCA 08:20 → ATL Delta DL 3193 ATL 14:05 → CAE Connection details →	3h 38m	6h 49m	98%	81%
Delta DL 5772 DCA 08:15 → LGA American AA 4697 LGA 12:29 → CAE Connection details →	2h 56m	6h 27m	96%	72%

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