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 IAD → CAE flights land within a few points of 82% on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


United	IAD	CAE	1h 44m	82%	1.7%	901	Flying now

Best connections, any airlines

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.


American Details →	IAD 06:33 → CLT 08:00AA 1216	3h 11m Charlotte	CLT 11:11 → CAE 12:20AA 5994 · flown by Piedmont	5h 47m	97%	88%
Delta Details →	IAD 06:00 → ATL 07:46DL 2127	2h 19m Atlanta	ATL 10:05 → CAE 11:14DL 5091 · flown by Endeavor	5h 16m	97%	87%
United + Americantwo ticketsDetails →	IAD 08:15 → CLT 09:45UA 4063 · flown by Mesa	3h 17m Charlotte	CLT 13:02 → CAE 14:07AA 6047 · flown by Piedmont	5h 52m	100%	81%
United + Deltatwo ticketsDetails →	IAD 08:15 → ATL 10:14UA 2739	3h 51m Atlanta	ATL 14:05 → CAE 15:09DL 3193	6h 54m	98%	81%
Delta Details →	IAD 08:27 → ATL 10:17DL 3080	1h 43m Atlanta	ATL 12:00 → CAE 13:02DL 2944	4h 35m	92%	80%
American Details →	IAD 05:03 → CLT 06:35AA 5054 · flown by PSA	3h 00m Charlotte	CLT 09:35 → CAE 10:44AA 6042 · flown by Piedmont	5h 41m	94%	77%
United + Americantwo ticketsDetails →	IAD 12:43 → CLT 14:12UA 6239 · flown by Mesa	2h 55m Charlotte	CLT 17:07 → CAE 18:13AA 5875 · flown by Piedmont	5h 30m	96%	75%
American Details →	IAD 09:20 → CLT 10:57AA 5219 · flown by PSA	3h 43m Charlotte	CLT 14:40 → CAE 15:45AA 6046 · flown by Piedmont	6h 25m	97%	74%
Tight connection: often missed
American Details →	IAD 20:22 → CLT 21:55AA 1450	1h 00m Charlotte	CLT 22:55 → CAE 23:58AA 5791 · flown by Piedmont	3h 36m	52%	33%
United Details →	IAD 15:39 → ORD 17:02UA 1393	53m Chicago	ORD 17:55 → CAE 21:16UA 4478 · flown by GoJet	5h 37m	49%	32%

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

DFW · 1h 10m · leaves 06:14 12%

Afternoon and evening

ATL · 1h 02m · leaves 19:35 21%

CLT · 1h 00m · leaves 20:22 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.

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