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

No clear winner: Frontier’s EWR → MDW flights land within a few points of 2 in 3 on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops (none in the current schedule)


Frontier	EWR	MDW	2h 30m	67%	5.6%	71	Not flying now

Best connections, one ticket

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

Ranked by chance you reach Chicago on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included (Chicago is 1 h behind Newark). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Delta Details →	EWR 06:00 → ATL 08:24DL 2353	2h 41m Atlanta	ATL 11:05 → MDW 12:05DL 2417	7h 05m	95%	79%
Delta Details →	EWR 10:31 → ATL 12:54DL 2325	2h 21m Atlanta	ATL 15:15 → MDW 16:15DL 1728	6h 44m	96%	69%
Delta Details →	EWR 15:25 → ATL 17:54DL 2312	3h 21m Atlanta	ATL 21:15 → MDW 22:17DL 1076	7h 52m	95%	68%
Delta Details →	EWR 06:00 → DTW 07:55DL 2596	55m Detroit	DTW 08:50 → MDW 09:14DL 4684 · flown by Endeavor	4h 14m	91%	66%
Delta Details →	EWR 09:39 → DTW 11:33DL 2566	52m Detroit	DTW 12:25 → MDW 12:46DL 4688 · flown by Endeavor	4h 07m	79%	63%
Delta Details →	EWR 13:00 → DTW 14:55DL 2577	3h 12m Detroit	DTW 18:07 → MDW 18:25DL 4677 · flown by Endeavor	6h 29m	97%	56%
Delta Details →	EWR 11:47 → MSP 13:44DL 2864	2h 54m Minneapolis	MSP 16:38 → MDW 18:18DL 4714 · flown by Endeavor	7h 30m	97%	55%
Delta Details →	EWR 06:15 → MSP 08:13DL 1641	3h 17m Minneapolis	MSP 11:30 → MDW 13:09DL 4820 · flown by Endeavor	7h 54m	95%	54%

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

DTW · 55m · leaves 06:00 9%

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 2505 EWR 06:00 → CLT Southwest WN 4529 CLT 11:35 → MDW Connection details →	3h 34m	7h 35m	97%	91%
United UA 1012 EWR 06:00 → ATL Delta DL 2417 ATL 11:05 → MDW Connection details →	2h 42m	7h 05m	100%	84%
United UA 3672 EWR 07:30 → DTW Delta DL 4688 DTW 12:25 → MDW Connection details →	2h 54m	6h 16m	100%	81%

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