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

No clear winner: United’s FAI → ORD flights land within a few points of 77% on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


United	FAI	ORD	5h 59m	77%	2.0%	148	Flying now

Best connections, any airlines

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

Ranked by chance you reach Chicago on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included (Chicago is 3 h ahead of Fairbanks). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Alaska + Americantwo ticketsDetails →	FAI 15:53 → SEA 20:36AS 1508	3h 20m Seattle	SEA 23:56 → ORD 06:02 +1AA 2881	11h 09m	98%	90%
Alaska + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	FAI 00:19 → SEA 05:00AS 1509	2h 00m Seattle	SEA 07:00 → ORD 13:15UA 2618	9h 56m	94%	87%
Delta + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	FAI 14:41 → SEA 19:38DL 1061	3h 33m Seattle	SEA 23:11 → ORD 05:18 +1UA 747	11h 37m	95%	81%
United Details →	FAI 01:00 → DEN 08:09UA 494	3h 06m Denver	DEN 11:15 → ORD 14:55UA 2865	10h 55m	99%	81%
Alaska Details →	FAI 17:15 → ANC 18:18AS 2102 · flown by Horizon	3h 06m Anchorage	ANC 21:24 → ORD 06:40 +1AS 1724	10h 25m	100%	80%
Delta + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	FAI 21:53 → MSP 06:05DL 1055	3h 42m Minneapolis	MSP 09:47 → ORD 11:29 +1UA 1929	10h 36m	93%	79%
Alaska Details →	FAI 12:11 → SEA 16:56AS 1531	52m Seattle	SEA 17:48 → ORD 23:59AS 538	8h 48m	91%	72%
Alaska Details →	FAI 00:39 → PDX 05:30AS 1520	1h 30m Portland	PDX 07:00 → ORD 13:13AS 324	9h 34m	98%	72%
Tight connection: often missed
Delta Details →	FAI 21:53 → MSP 06:05DL 1055	55m Minneapolis	MSP 07:00 → ORD 08:35 +1DL 1544	7h 42m	60%	50%

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

SEA · 1h 17m · leaves 05:31 5%

MSP · 55m · leaves 21:53 40%

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.

The table above includes two-ticket connections (marked “two tickets”), held to the 90-minute minimum. One ticket only →

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