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

Connect in the morning. The same one-hour layover misses 1 time in 10 at 10 am and 42% of the time at 7 pm.

Nonstops


Southwest	MKE	DCA	1h 50m	75%	1.3%	680	Flying now
American	MKE	DCA	2h 10m	75%	5.6%	666	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 Milwaukee). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Southwest Details →	MKE 05:45 → MDW 06:35WN 3178	1h 40m Chicago	MDW 08:15 → DCA 11:10WN 2569	4h 25m	100%	91%
Delta Details →	MKE 06:20 → MSP 07:43DL 4460 · flown by SkyWest	2h 43m Minneapolis	MSP 10:26 → DCA 13:48DL 2983	6h 29m	97%	82%
United Details →	MKE 06:20 → ORD 07:30UA 5896 · flown by SkyWest	2h 30m Chicago	ORD 10:00 → DCA 13:04UA 1381	5h 44m	96%	79%
American Details →	MKE 06:08 → ORD 07:30AA 4914 · flown by SkyWest	3h 15m Chicago	ORD 10:45 → DCA 13:59AA 4809 · flown by Republic	6h 51m	100%	78%
Delta Details →	MKE 05:40 → ATL 08:42DL 1221	2h 18m Atlanta	ATL 11:00 → DCA 12:42DL 737	6h 02m	96%	75%
United Details →	MKE 05:00 → ORD 05:59UA 5799 · flown by SkyWest	2h 01m Chicago	ORD 08:00 → DCA 11:01UA 382	5h 01m	92%	75%
Delta Details →	MKE 09:57 → MSP 11:21DL 4466 · flown by SkyWest	3h 17m Minneapolis	MSP 14:38 → DCA 18:09DL 2963	7h 12m	98%	74%
Southwest Details →	MKE 05:00 → MCO 08:40WN 4660	1h 05m Orlando	MCO 09:45 → DCA 12:00WN 1908	6h 00m	97%	73%
Tight connection: often missed
American Details →	MKE 05:02 → ORD 06:14AA 6358 · flown by SkyWest	48m Chicago	ORD 07:02 → DCA 10:03AA 2965	4h 01m	73%	54%
American Details →	MKE 18:17 → CLT 21:28AA 2846	1h 00m Charlotte	CLT 22:28 → DCA 23:53AA 1269	4h 37m	66%	39%
United Details →	MKE 17:29 → ORD 18:40UA 5648 · flown by SkyWest	1h 05m Chicago	ORD 19:45 → DCA 22:54UA 2160	4h 25m	58%	29%

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

CLT · 1h 07m · leaves 07:01 10%

MSP · 58m · leaves 08:00 11%

ATL · 1h 00m · leaves 06:50 11%

Afternoon and evening

ATL · 49m · leaves 14:59 18%

CLT · 1h 00m · leaves 18:17 34%

ORD · 1h 05m · leaves 17:29 42%

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 4660 MKE 05:00 → MCO American AA 2088 MCO 10:40 → DCA Connection details →	2h 00m	6h 59m	97%	89%
American AA 6358 MKE 05:02 → ORD United UA 1381 ORD 10:00 → DCA Connection details →	3h 46m	7h 02m	97%	81%
United UA 5896 MKE 06:20 → ORD American AA 4809 ORD 10:45 → DCA Connection details →	3h 15m	6h 39m	96%	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