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


United	ORD	RSW	3h 05m	82%	0.6%	1,612	Flying now
American	ORD	RSW	2h 56m	72%	1.7%	1,144	Flying now
Southwest	ORD	RSW	2h 55m	78%	2.9%	103	Not flying now
Spirit	ORD	RSW	2h 56m	60%	5.8%	343	Not flying now
Frontier	ORD	RSW	3h 12m	77%few flights	2.8%	36	Not flying now

Best connections, one ticket

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

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


United Details →	ORD 05:00 → DEN 06:42UA 2666	2h 53m Denver	DEN 09:35 → RSW 15:22UA 2601	9h 22m	100%	90%
United Details →	ORD 06:29 → IAH 09:18UA 1799	3h 01m Houston	IAH 12:19 → RSW 15:52UA 1361	8h 23m	100%	85%
Delta Details →	ORD 06:35 → ATL 09:41DL 1247	3h 12m Atlanta	ATL 12:53 → RSW 14:35DL 1196	6h 59m	98%	81%
Delta Details →	ORD 06:30 → MSP 08:06DL 1717	1h 23m Minneapolis	MSP 09:29 → RSW 13:53DL 2400	6h 23m	92%	78%
Delta Details →	ORD 05:30 → ATL 08:33DL 1264	1h 52m Atlanta	ATL 10:25 → RSW 12:14DL 1153	5h 44m	96%	77%
Delta Details →	ORD 08:52 → DTW 11:23DL 4456 · flown by SkyWest	3h 09m Detroit	DTW 14:32 → RSW 17:27DL 1225	7h 35m	97%	75%
United Details →	ORD 12:40 → IAH 15:40UA 1448	2h 53m Houston	IAH 18:33 → RSW 21:59UA 2778	8h 19m	96%	74%
Delta Details →	ORD 11:23 → ATL 14:25DL 1147	2h 42m Atlanta	ATL 17:07 → RSW 18:55DL 1124	6h 29m	97%	68%
Tight connection: often missed
American Details →	ORD 16:45 → CLT 19:59AA 1683	57m Charlotte	CLT 20:56 → RSW 22:52AA 1176	5h 07m	70%	49%
Delta Details →	ORD 15:22 → ATL 18:36DL 1477	51m Atlanta	ATL 19:27 → RSW 21:12DL 1736	4h 50m	71%	47%
American Details →	ORD 14:59 → DFW 17:36AA 2257	1h 15m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 18:51 → RSW 22:38AA 1267	6h 39m	70%	37%

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

DFW · 1h 13m · leaves 06:04 10%

PHL · 1h 14m · leaves 06:36 19%

Afternoon and evening

ATL · 51m · leaves 15:22 29%

CLT · 57m · leaves 16:45 30%

DFW · 1h 15m · leaves 14:59 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.


American AA 4413 ORD 06:46 → BUF JetBlue B6 2049 BUF 11:25 → RSW Connection details →	1h 48m	6h 37m	94%	84%
United UA 425 ORD 07:12 → ATL Delta DL 1196 ATL 12:53 → RSW Connection details →	2h 26m	6h 22m	100%	84%
American AA 4104 ORD 07:05 → STL Southwest WN 4940 STL 10:05 → RSW Connection details →	1h 34m	5h 30m	94%	83%

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