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 84% on time.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


American	ORD	ILM	2h 19m	84%	1.8%	452	Flying now
United	ORD	ILM	2h 26m	83%	0.0%	90	Flying now

Best connections, any airlines

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

Ranked by chance you reach Wilmington on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included (Wilmington is 1 h ahead of Chicago). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


American Details →	ORD 05:07 → CLT 08:10AA 2842	3h 05m Charlotte	CLT 11:15 → ILM 12:33AA 5822 · flown by Piedmont	6h 26m	98%	84%
United + Americantwo ticketsDetails →	ORD 06:30 → CLT 09:44UA 5216 · flown by SkyWest	3h 21m Charlotte	CLT 13:05 → ILM 14:19AA 5809 · flown by Piedmont	6h 49m	100%	83%
Delta Details →	ORD 05:30 → ATL 08:33DL 1264	3h 42m Atlanta	ATL 12:15 → ILM 13:43DL 731	7h 13m	99%	82%
United + Americantwo ticketsDetails →	ORD 06:05 → BOS 09:29UA 1186	2h 17m Boston	BOS 11:46 → ILM 13:58AA 4738 · flown by Republic	6h 55m	98%	82%
United + Americantwo ticketsDetails →	ORD 07:15 → PHL 10:30UA 2038	2h 42m Philadelphia	PHL 13:12 → ILM 14:59AA 6133 · flown by Piedmont	6h 42m	99%	81%
United + JetBluetwo ticketsDetails →	ORD 07:33 → BOS 11:05UA 1076	2h 42m Boston	BOS 13:47 → ILM 15:52B6 1293	7h 21m	99%	77%
United Details →	ORD 06:00 → EWR 09:12UA 2295	1h 10m Newark	EWR 10:22 → ILM 12:12UA 3587 · flown by Republic	5h 12m	94%	76%
American Details →	ORD 05:00 → PHL 08:05AA 2970	2h 35m Philadelphia	PHL 10:40 → ILM 12:28AA 5978 · flown by Piedmont	6h 28m	94%	76%
Tight connection: often missed
American Details →	ORD 06:36 → PHL 09:46AA 2115	54m Philadelphia	PHL 10:40 → ILM 12:28AA 5978 · flown by Piedmont	4h 52m	71%	55%
American Details →	ORD 16:05 → MIA 20:26AA 2910	1h 32m Miami	MIA 21:58 → ILM 23:59AA 3897 · flown by Envoy	6h 54m	61%	47%
American Details →	ORD 08:30 → DFW 11:04AA 1555	1h 01m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 12:05 → ILM 15:54AA 2934	6h 24m	71%	46%

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 06:00 6%

CLT · 1h 10m · leaves 05:07 7%

BOS · 1h 18m · leaves 06:54 7%

Afternoon and evening

CLT · 1h 16m · leaves 12:00 17%

DCA · 1h 16m · leaves 13:20 24%

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