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 68% on time.

Nonstops


United	ORD	TYS	1h 50m	71%	1.9%	1,449	Flying now
American	ORD	TYS	1h 48m	66%	5.2%	1,279	Flying now

Best connections, one ticket

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

Ranked by chance you reach Knoxville on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included (Knoxville 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 01m Charlotte	CLT 11:11 → TYS 12:34AA 5953 · flown by Piedmont	6h 27m	98%	87%
Delta Details →	ORD 05:30 → ATL 08:33DL 1264	1h 32m Atlanta	ATL 10:05 → TYS 11:09DL 1743	4h 39m	96%	84%
United Details →	ORD 06:30 → IAD 09:24UA 1689	3h 26m Dulles	IAD 12:50 → TYS 14:27UA 6110 · flown by Mesa	6h 57m	100%	81%
United Details →	ORD 10:25 → IAH 13:23UA 2638	1h 22m Houston	IAH 14:45 → TYS 18:07UA 6211 · flown by Mesa	6h 42m	94%	79%
American Details →	ORD 08:00 → CLT 11:08AA 3222	3h 16m Charlotte	CLT 14:24 → TYS 15:42AA 5831 · flown by Piedmont	6h 42m	97%	77%
Delta Details →	ORD 06:35 → ATL 09:41DL 1247	2h 36m Atlanta	ATL 12:17 → TYS 13:16DL 4724 · flown by Endeavor	5h 44m	98%	77%
American Details →	ORD 05:00 → DFW 07:30AA 760	2h 18m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 09:48 → TYS 12:56AA 2873	6h 56m	97%	75%
United Details →	ORD 07:05 → DEN 08:55UA 1217	2h 03m Denver	DEN 10:58 → TYS 15:53UA 2787	7h 48m	98%	75%
Tight connection: often missed
American Details →	ORD 13:32 → PHL 16:49AA 1859	59m Philadelphia	PHL 17:48 → TYS 20:00AA 5066 · flown by PSA	5h 28m	67%	40%
United Details →	ORD 18:12 → IAD 21:22UA 2202	48m Dulles	IAD 22:10 → TYS 23:54UA 4304 · flown by CommuteAir	4h 42m	41%	30%
American Details →	ORD 16:05 → MIA 20:26AA 2910	1h 19m Miami	MIA 21:45 → TYS 23:59AA 2716	6h 54m	59%	25%

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

IAD · 58m · leaves 08:40 8%

CLT · 1h 05m · leaves 05:07 9%

DFW · 1h 12m · leaves 06:04 10%

Afternoon and evening

MIA · 1h 19m · leaves 16:05 41%

DFW · 1h 14m · leaves 16:51 43%

IAD · 48m · leaves 18:12 59%

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.


United UA 425 ORD 07:12 → ATL Delta DL 1148 ATL 13:52 → TYS Connection details →	3h 25m	6h 37m	100%	80%
American AA 1375 ORD 15:59 → ATL Delta DL 2081 ATL 22:53 → TYS Connection details →	3h 51m	6h 55m	90%	73%
American AA 3498 ORD 10:00 → DTW Delta DL 4941 DTW 16:19 → TYS Connection details →	3h 47m	7h 02m	100%	72%

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