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

No clear winner: airlines and hours on this route all land within a few points of 3 in 4 on time.

Nonstops


American	MSN	DCA	2h 15m	75%	5.4%	909	Flying now
Delta	MSN	DCA	2h 04m	73%	2.6%	304	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 Madison). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


United Details →	MSN 06:41 → ORD 07:54UA 5902 · flown by SkyWest	2h 06m Chicago	ORD 10:00 → DCA 13:04UA 1381	5h 23m	100%	83%
Delta Details →	MSN 06:00 → MSP 07:09DL 1274	3h 17m Minneapolis	MSP 10:26 → DCA 13:48DL 2983	6h 49m	97%	80%
United Details →	MSN 05:00 → ORD 06:17UA 4707 · flown by SkyWest	1h 43m Chicago	ORD 08:00 → DCA 11:01UA 382	5h 01m	93%	75%
American Details →	MSN 07:20 → BOS 10:53AA 4687 · flown by Republic	59m Boston	BOS 11:52 → DCA 13:44AA 4349 · flown by Republic	5h 24m	92%	75%
Delta Details →	MSN 05:48 → ATL 09:00DL 1160	2h 00m Atlanta	ATL 11:00 → DCA 12:42DL 737	5h 54m	95%	75%
American Details →	MSN 05:00 → ORD 06:15AA 4322 · flown by Envoy	1h 45m Chicago	ORD 08:00 → DCA 10:59AA 2345	4h 59m	96%	72%
American Details →	MSN 07:00 → CLT 10:16AA 1002	58m Charlotte	CLT 11:14 → DCA 12:59AA 5527 · flown by PSA	4h 58m	92%	71%
American Details →	MSN 05:00 → ORD 06:15AA 3702 · flown by Envoy	47m Chicago	ORD 07:02 → DCA 10:03AA 2965	4h 03m	100%	70%
Tight connection: often missed
American Details →	MSN 16:11 → CLT 19:40AA 5307 · flown by PSA	1h 09m Charlotte	CLT 20:49 → DCA 22:20AA 527	5h 09m	66%	35%
Delta Details →	MSN 15:10 → LGA 18:29DL 5033 · flown by Endeavor	51m New York	LGA 19:20 → DCA 20:59DL 5724 · flown by Republic	4h 50m	63%	26%
United Details →	MSN 15:46 → ORD 17:01UA 5262 · flown by SkyWest	59m Chicago	ORD 18:00 → DCA 21:10UA 1369	4h 24m	45%	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

EWR · 1h 10m · leaves 06:29 8%

BOS · 59m · leaves 07:20 8%

CLT · 58m · leaves 07:00 8%

Afternoon and evening

ATL · 51m · leaves 16:40 16%

CLT · 1h 09m · leaves 16:11 34%

LGA · 51m · leaves 15:10 37%

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 4322 MSN 05:00 → ORD United UA 1381 ORD 10:00 → DCA Connection details →	3h 45m	7h 04m	96%	82%
United UA 5902 MSN 06:41 → ORD American AA 4809 ORD 10:45 → DCA Connection details →	2h 51m	6h 18m	100%	78%
American AA 3702 MSN 05:00 → ORD United UA 382 ORD 08:00 → DCA Connection details →	1h 45m	5h 01m	100%	78%

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