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 IAD → JFK flights land within a few points of 64% on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


Delta	IAD	JFK	1h 30m	64%	6.0%	713	Flying now

Best connections, any airlines

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

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


Delta Details →	IAD 06:00 → ATL 07:46DL 2127	1h 54m Atlanta	ATL 09:40 → JFK 12:00DL 1034	5h 56m	96%	84%
Delta Details →	IAD 06:00 → DTW 07:40DL 3826 · flown by SkyWest	2h 30m Detroit	DTW 10:10 → JFK 11:59DL 2751	5h 59m	96%	83%
United + JetBluetwo ticketsDetails →	IAD 06:10 → ORD 07:27UA 2070	2h 13m Chicago	ORD 09:40 → JFK 12:59B6 906	6h 49m	95%	80%
United + Americantwo ticketsDetails →	IAD 08:30 → PIT 09:40UA 6119 · flown by Mesa	2h 33m Pittsburgh	PIT 12:13 → JFK 13:55AA 4568 · flown by Republic	5h 25m	96%	80%
United + Deltatwo ticketsDetails →	IAD 08:45 → MSP 10:28UA 1998	2h 25m Minneapolis	MSP 12:53 → JFK 17:00DL 2661	8h 15m	98%	80%
United + Deltatwo ticketsDetails →	IAD 08:20 → CLE 09:41UA 1926	2h 05m Cleveland	CLE 11:46 → JFK 13:29DL 5018 · flown by Endeavor	5h 10m	98%	77%
Delta Details →	IAD 11:10 → DTW 12:44DL 2884	3h 34m Detroit	DTW 16:18 → JFK 18:29DL 2934	7h 19m	100%	77%
United + Americantwo ticketsDetails →	IAD 08:24 → IND 10:13UA 3561 · flown by Republic	2h 15m Indianapolis	IND 12:28 → JFK 14:49AA 4592 · flown by Republic	6h 25m	96%	75%

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 15m · leaves 06:14 10%

ATL · 53m · leaves 08:27 22%

CLT · 48m · leaves 09:20 23%

Afternoon and evening

DTW · 1h 03m · leaves 17:29 24%

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