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, one ticket

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.


Delta Details →	MDW 06:00 → ATL 08:55DL 1285	2h 19m Atlanta	ATL 11:14 → RDU 12:44DL 1488	5h 44m	95%	84%
Southwest Details →	MDW 07:00 → BWI 09:45WN 2742	1h 50m Baltimore	BWI 11:35 → RDU 12:45WN 4442	4h 45m	94%	82%
Southwest Details →	MDW 05:20 → AUS 07:50WN 2726	1h 25m Austin	AUS 09:15 → RDU 13:05WN 4516	6h 45m	100%	79%
Southwest Details →	MDW 05:00 → TPA 08:25WN 2906	1h 50m Tampa	TPA 10:15 → RDU 12:05WN 4605	6h 05m	100%	79%
Delta Details →	MDW 09:54 → MSP 11:35DL 5469 · flown by Endeavor	2h 45m Minneapolis	MSP 14:20 → RDU 17:54DL 2699	7h 00m	98%	77%
Southwest Details →	MDW 06:50 → DEN 08:20WN 2765	1h 40m Denver	DEN 10:00 → RDU 15:25WN 1691	7h 35m	100%	76%
Delta Details →	MDW 11:05 → ATL 14:01DL 1063	1h 47m Atlanta	ATL 15:48 → RDU 17:22DL 2600	5h 14m	97%	74%
Delta Details →	MDW 12:50 → ATL 15:49DL 2417	3h 29m Atlanta	ATL 19:18 → RDU 20:47DL 1518	6h 57m	98%	70%
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.


Southwest WN 3054 MDW 07:15 → ATL Delta DL 2026 ATL 13:02 → RDU Connection details →	2h 57m	6h 14m	100%	88%
Southwest WN 4976 MDW 06:00 → DCA American AA 4700 DCA 11:24 → RDU Connection details →	2h 39m	5h 44m	100%	88%
Southwest WN 2959 MDW 07:15 → BNA American AA 4639 BNA 12:00 → RDU Connection details →	3h 20m	6h 28m	98%	85%

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