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

No clear winner: United’s ORD → FAI flights land within a few points of 73% on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


United	ORD	FAI	6h 39m	73%	1.4%	148	Flying now

Best connections, any airlines

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

Ranked by chance you reach Fairbanks on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included (Fairbanks is 3 h behind Chicago). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Delta + Alaskatwo ticketsDetails →	ORD 17:55 → SEA 20:34DL 637	2h 53m Seattle	SEA 23:27 → FAI 02:15 +1AS 1512	11h 20m	96%	85%
United + Alaskatwo ticketsDetails →	ORD 09:04 → ANC 12:56UA 840	2h 32m Anchorage	ANC 15:28 → FAI 16:31AS 2103 · flown by Horizon	10h 27m	99%	85%
United + Alaskatwo ticketsDetails →	ORD 16:10 → ANC 19:54UA 841	3h 04m Anchorage	ANC 22:58 → FAI 23:59AS 2277 · flown by Horizon	10h 49m	92%	85%
American + Alaskatwo ticketsDetails →	ORD 17:00 → ANC 20:51AA 1354	2h 49m Anchorage	ANC 23:40 → FAI 00:44 +1AS 2250 · flown by Horizon	10h 44m	88%	76%
United + Alaskatwo ticketsDetails →	ORD 16:15 → PDX 18:47UA 1677	3h 12m Portland	PDX 21:59 → FAI 00:55 +1AS 1521	11h 40m	84%	74%
Alaska Details →	ORD 06:00 → SEA 08:38AS 715	3h 22m Seattle	SEA 12:00 → FAI 14:55AS 1507	11h 55m	99%	74%
American + Deltatwo ticketsDetails →	ORD 13:36 → MSP 15:20AA 4000 · flown by Envoy	2h 50m Minneapolis	MSP 18:10 → FAI 20:43DL 1055	10h 07m	96%	73%
Alaska Details →	ORD 00:59 → ANC 04:41AS 1545	1h 34m Anchorage	ANC 06:15 → FAI 07:19AS 457	9h 20m	78%	73%
Tight connection: often missed
Delta Details →	ORD 17:55 → SEA 20:34DL 637	1h 07m Seattle	SEA 21:41 → FAI 00:30 +1DL 2186	9h 35m	70%	53%
United Details →	ORD 16:12 → DEN 18:13UA 2769	1h 11m Denver	DEN 19:24 → FAI 22:59UA 250	9h 47m	64%	49%

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

SEA · 1h 15m · leaves 06:00 8%

Afternoon and evening

SEA · 1h 07m · leaves 17:55 30%

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