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

No clear winner: airlines and hours on this route all land within a few points of 4 in 5 on time.

Nonstops


United	DTW	IAD	1h 36m	85%	1.1%	1,043	Flying now
Delta	DTW	IAD	1h 35m	74%	1.2%	1,149	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 →	DTW 05:30 → ORD 05:53UA 3483 · flown by Republic	2h 47m Chicago	ORD 08:40 → IAD 11:52UA 2277	6h 22m	100%	88%
United Details →	DTW 07:05 → ORD 07:42UA 5553 · flown by SkyWest	3h 25m Chicago	ORD 11:07 → IAD 14:12UA 1869	7h 07m	97%	87%
Delta Details →	DTW 07:25 → ATL 09:26DL 965	2h 51m Atlanta	ATL 12:17 → IAD 14:02DL 2135	6h 37m	98%	83%
Delta Details →	DTW 06:17 → ATL 08:12DL 1611	1h 38m Atlanta	ATL 09:50 → IAD 11:39DL 1444	5h 21m	97%	81%
American Details →	DTW 07:00 → CLT 08:54AA 1439	2h 11m Charlotte	CLT 11:05 → IAD 12:38AA 5220 · flown by PSA	5h 38m	97%	79%
Delta Details →	DTW 09:25 → ATL 11:25DL 2777	3h 34m Atlanta	ATL 14:59 → IAD 16:47DL 1695	7h 22m	98%	75%
Delta Details →	DTW 16:25 → MSP 17:20DL 2203	2h 35m Minneapolis	MSP 19:55 → IAD 23:25DL 4129 · flown by SkyWest	7h 00m	99%	75%
Delta Details →	DTW 14:57 → ATL 17:05DL 1983	2h 10m Atlanta	ATL 19:15 → IAD 21:03DL 1309	6h 07m	98%	73%
Tight connection: often missed
United Details →	DTW 14:10 → ORD 14:47UA 5381 · flown by SkyWest	1h 06m Chicago	ORD 15:53 → IAD 19:02UA 2437	4h 52m	74%	51%
United Details →	DTW 19:05 → EWR 20:59UA 3644 · flown by Republic	51m Newark	EWR 21:50 → IAD 23:19UA 1784	4h 14m	62%	40%
American Details →	DTW 15:52 → DFW 17:50AA 1793	54m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 18:44 → IAD 22:46AA 1132	7h 00m	62%	28%

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

JFK · 1h 16m · leaves 07:03 13%

ATL · 52m · leaves 09:25 17%

Afternoon and evening

EWR · 51m · leaves 19:05 38%

DFW · 54m · leaves 15:52 38%

MSP · 47m · leaves 18:10 39%

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 3166 DTW 10:10 → RIC United UA 4549 RIC 15:00 → IAD Connection details →	3h 09m	5h 55m	100%	91%
Delta DL 4456 DTW 07:30 → ORD United UA 1869 ORD 11:07 → IAD Connection details →	3h 08m	6h 42m	97%	87%
Delta DL 2826 DTW 08:45 → MCI United UA 688 MCI 12:30 → IAD Connection details →	2h 42m	7h 18m	95%	84%

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