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

No clear winner: Southwest’s MDW → RDU flights land within a few points of 82% on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


Southwest	MDW	RDU	1h 50m	82%	2.1%	960	Flying now

Best connections, any airlines

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

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


Southwest + Deltatwo ticketsDetails →	MDW 07:15 → ATL 10:05WN 3054	2h 57m Atlanta	ATL 13:02 → RDU 14:29DL 2026	6h 14m	100%	88%
Southwest + Americantwo ticketsDetails →	MDW 06:00 → DCA 08:45WN 4976	2h 39m Washington	DCA 11:24 → RDU 12:44AA 4700 · flown by Republic	5h 44m	100%	88%
Southwest + Americantwo ticketsDetails →	MDW 07:15 → BNA 08:40WN 2959	3h 20m Nashville	BNA 12:00 → RDU 14:42AA 4639 · flown by Republic	6h 28m	98%	85%
Delta Details →	MDW 06:00 → ATL 08:55DL 1285	2h 19m Atlanta	ATL 11:14 → RDU 12:44DL 1488	5h 44m	95%	84%
Southwest + Deltatwo ticketsDetails →	MDW 08:55 → ATL 11:45WN 4154	3h 00m Atlanta	ATL 14:45 → RDU 16:14DL 1550	6h 19m	100%	83%
Southwest + Deltatwo ticketsDetails →	MDW 05:20 → AUS 07:50WN 2726	2h 02m Austin	AUS 09:52 → RDU 14:07DL 4921 · flown by Endeavor	7h 47m	100%	83%
Southwest Details →	MDW 07:00 → BWI 09:45WN 2742	1h 50m Baltimore	BWI 11:35 → RDU 12:45WN 4442	4h 45m	94%	82%
Southwest + Deltatwo ticketsDetails →	MDW 07:40 → BOS 10:55WN 4611	2h 05m Boston	BOS 13:00 → RDU 15:04DL 2283	6h 24m	98%	81%
Tight connection: often missed
Southwest Details →	MDW 12:20 → DAL 14:35WN 2757	1h 00m Dallas	DAL 15:35 → RDU 19:15WN 1389	5h 55m	71%	23%
Southwest Details →	MDW 17:20 → BWI 20:15WN 4616	50m Baltimore	BWI 21:05 → RDU 22:20WN 793	4h 03m	40%	22%

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 15m · leaves 06:00 8%

Afternoon and evening

DEN · 1h 20m · leaves 16:15 24%

ATL · 1h 03m · leaves 17:10 25%

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