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 → DCA flights land within a few points of 7 in 10 on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops


Southwest	MDW	DCA	1h 50m	71%	1.9%	2,100	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 (Washington is 1 h ahead of Chicago). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Southwest Details →	MDW 05:00 → TPA 08:25WN 2906	1h 20m Tampa	TPA 09:45 → DCA 12:05WN 4016	6h 05m	98%	82%
Delta Details →	MDW 09:54 → MSP 11:35DL 5469 · flown by Endeavor	3h 03m Minneapolis	MSP 14:38 → DCA 18:09DL 2963	7h 15m	98%	75%
Delta Details →	MDW 06:00 → ATL 08:55DL 1285	2h 05m Atlanta	ATL 11:00 → DCA 12:42DL 737	5h 42m	95%	74%
Southwest Details →	MDW 05:10 → MCO 08:40WN 2815	1h 05m Orlando	MCO 09:45 → DCA 12:00WN 1908	5h 50m	93%	70%
Southwest Details →	MDW 07:45 → CMH 10:05WN 4093	3h 40m Columbus	CMH 13:45 → DCA 15:00WN 1185	6h 15m	100%	69%
Southwest Details →	MDW 05:00 → DAL 07:15WN 1377	2h 05m Dallas	DAL 09:20 → DCA 13:15WN 2559	7h 15m	100%	65%
Delta Details →	MDW 11:05 → ATL 14:01DL 1063	2h 39m Atlanta	ATL 16:40 → DCA 18:33DL 950	6h 28m	98%	60%
Delta Details →	MDW 17:10 → ATL 20:22DL 1728	1h 33m Atlanta	ATL 21:55 → DCA 23:44DL 537	5h 34m	86%	57%
Tight connection: often missed
Southwest Details →	MDW 11:20 → BNA 12:45WN 2733	1h 10m Nashville	BNA 13:55 → DCA 16:45WN 4380	4h 20m	69%	32%
Southwest Details →	MDW 13:00 → PVD 16:10WN 856	1h 00m Providence	PVD 17:10 → DCA 18:45WN 3515	4h 45m	65%	21%

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

TPA · 1h 20m · leaves 05:00 2%

MCO · 1h 05m · leaves 05:10 7%

Afternoon and evening

ATL · 51m · leaves 12:50 20%

MCI · 1h 00m · leaves 16:05 24%

PVD · 1h 00m · leaves 13:00 35%

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.


Southwest WN 2815 MDW 05:10 → MCO American AA 2088 MCO 10:40 → DCA Connection details →	2h 00m	6h 49m	95%	87%
Southwest WN 2801 MDW 05:15 → LGA American AA 4654 LGA 10:47 → DCA Connection details →	2h 32m	6h 02m	100%	83%
Southwest WN 2869 MDW 10:15 → MSP Delta DL 2963 MSP 14:38 → DCA Connection details →	2h 53m	6h 54m	98%	74%

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