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

No clear winner: American’s IND → DCA flights land within a few points of 3 in 4 on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops


American	IND	DCA	1h 46m	76%	3.8%	2,022	Flying now

Best connections, one ticket

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

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


Southwest Details →	IND 05:10 → TPA 07:25WN 518	2h 20m Tampa	TPA 09:45 → DCA 12:05WN 4016	6h 55m	100%	84%
Southwest Details →	IND 06:40 → MDW 06:50WN 2133	1h 25m Chicago	MDW 08:15 → DCA 11:10WN 2569	4h 30m	95%	84%
United Details →	IND 06:00 → ORD 06:20UA 3479 · flown by Republic	3h 40m Chicago	ORD 10:00 → DCA 13:04UA 1381	7h 04m	99%	83%
Southwest Details →	IND 05:20 → HOU 06:45WN 4645	1h 30m Houston	HOU 08:15 → DCA 12:20WN 1701	7h 00m	100%	82%
Delta Details →	IND 06:40 → BOS 09:07DL 5631 · flown by Republic	1h 18m Boston	BOS 10:25 → DCA 12:12DL 5592 · flown by Republic	5h 32m	97%	81%
Delta Details →	IND 07:00 → MSP 07:50DL 2757	2h 36m Minneapolis	MSP 10:26 → DCA 13:48DL 2983	6h 49m	98%	81%
United Details →	IND 07:00 → IAH 08:28UA 2358	1h 19m Houston	IAH 09:47 → DCA 13:57UA 2670	6h 57m	92%	81%
Delta Details →	IND 06:40 → DTW 07:55DL 4924 · flown by Endeavor	2h 10m Detroit	DTW 10:05 → DCA 11:34DL 2476	4h 54m	98%	80%
Tight connection: often missed
Delta Details →	IND 18:00 → BOS 20:35DL 5647 · flown by Republic	1h 15m Boston	BOS 21:50 → DCA 23:43DL 5704 · flown by Republic	5h 43m	68%	47%
American Details →	IND 17:23 → DFW 18:57AA 1956	1h 03m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 20:00 → DCA 23:59AA 2077	6h 36m	65%	36%
United Details →	IND 16:25 → ORD 16:48UA 2680	1h 12m Chicago	ORD 18:00 → DCA 21:10UA 1369	4h 45m	72%	33%

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

ATL · 1h 16m · leaves 08:05 3%

BOS · 1h 18m · leaves 06:40 3%

CLT · 1h 06m · leaves 06:32 4%

Afternoon and evening

BOS · 1h 15m · leaves 18:00 32%

DFW · 1h 03m · leaves 17:23 35%

CLT · 58m · leaves 19:44 38%

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 4362 IND 05:36 → ORD United UA 1381 ORD 10:00 → DCA Connection details →	4h 00m	7h 28m	100%	82%
Delta DL 5631 IND 06:40 → BOS American AA 4349 BOS 11:52 → DCA Connection details →	2h 45m	7h 04m	99%	81%
Southwest WN 2129 IND 05:10 → MCO Delta DL 1003 MCO 10:20 → DCA Connection details →	2h 55m	7h 22m	100%	80%

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