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

No clear winner: Delta’s DSM → MSP flights land within a few points of 82% on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops


Delta	DSM	MSP	1h 15m	82%	1.4%	1,254	Flying now

Best connections, one ticket

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

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


United Details →	DSM 06:00 → ORD 07:40UA 1856	1h 10m Chicago	ORD 08:50 → MSP 10:36UA 2805	4h 36m	96%	83%
Delta Details →	DSM 05:35 → ATL 08:44DL 2727	3h 37m Atlanta	ATL 12:21 → MSP 13:57DL 2901	8h 22m	99%	83%
United Details →	DSM 05:50 → DEN 06:59UA 4777 · flown by SkyWest	2h 41m Denver	DEN 09:40 → MSP 12:40UA 397	6h 50m	96%	82%
United Details →	DSM 09:14 → DEN 10:20UA 1521	3h 22m Denver	DEN 13:42 → MSP 16:46UA 732	7h 32m	97%	81%
American Details →	DSM 05:00 → ORD 06:39AA 4519 · flown by Republic	1h 43m Chicago	ORD 08:22 → MSP 10:06AA 4162 · flown by Envoy	5h 08m	94%	81%
American Details →	DSM 09:02 → ORD 10:44AA 4969 · flown by SkyWest	1h 01m Chicago	ORD 11:45 → MSP 13:27AA 3719 · flown by Envoy	4h 25m	90%	79%
Southwest Details →	DSM 06:10 → DEN 07:00WN 1769	3h 10m Denver	DEN 10:10 → MSP 13:10WN 3973	7h 00m	97%	79%
Delta Details →	DSM 06:08 → DTW 08:59DL 5414 · flown by Endeavor	3h 21m Detroit	DTW 12:20 → MSP 13:14DL 2697	7h 06m	95%	78%
Tight connection: often missed
Southwest Details →	DSM 06:10 → DEN 07:00WN 1769	50m Denver	DEN 07:50 → MSP 10:55WN 3420	4h 45m	71%	68%
Southwest Details →	DSM 13:30 → DEN 14:25WN 1770	1h 00m Denver	DEN 15:25 → MSP 18:20WN 1639	4h 50m	73%	38%
United Details →	DSM 18:50 → ORD 20:30UA 6050 · flown by SkyWest	58m Chicago	ORD 21:28 → MSP 23:10UA 1131	4h 20m	45%	25%

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 10m · leaves 06:00 4%

ATL · 1h 11m · leaves 05:35 5%

PHL · 56m · leaves 06:02 14%

Afternoon and evening

ORD · 58m · leaves 18:50 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.


Southwest WN 1772 DSM 05:10 → MDW Delta DL 5469 MDW 09:54 → MSP Connection details →	3h 24m	6h 25m	95%	85%
American AA 3495 DSM 09:41 → DFW Delta DL 2900 DFW 15:34 → MSP Connection details →	3h 46m	8h 22m	100%	80%
United UA 2287 DSM 08:00 → ORD American AA 3375 ORD 11:47 → MSP Connection details →	2h 07m	5h 32m	96%	79%

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