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 78% on time.

Nonstops


United	ORF	ORD	2h 34m	79%	2.0%	957	Flying now
American	ORF	ORD	2h 38m	76%	3.1%	942	Flying now

Best connections, one ticket

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

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


United Details →	ORF 06:05 → IAD 07:07UA 1524	3h 24m Dulles	IAD 10:31 → ORD 11:53UA 1252	6h 48m	100%	91%
Delta Details →	ORF 06:05 → DTW 07:54DL 1079	2h 21m Detroit	DTW 10:15 → ORD 10:50DL 3673 · flown by SkyWest	5h 45m	96%	85%
American Details →	ORF 05:01 → CLT 06:19AA 3168	1h 27m Charlotte	CLT 07:46 → ORD 09:02AA 2843	5h 01m	99%	83%
United Details →	ORF 06:15 → IAH 08:20UA 2302	1h 15m Houston	IAH 09:35 → ORD 12:29UA 2124	7h 14m	97%	83%
American Details →	ORF 06:46 → CLT 08:20AA 5036 · flown by PSA	2h 41m Charlotte	CLT 11:01 → ORD 12:19AA 2908	6h 33m	92%	80%
American Details →	ORF 06:23 → PHL 07:40AA 5088 · flown by PSA	2h 55m Philadelphia	PHL 10:35 → ORD 12:09AA 1041	6h 46m	96%	78%
American Details →	ORF 06:00 → DCA 06:59AA 5520 · flown by PSA	1h 26m Washington	DCA 08:25 → ORD 10:00AA 4360 · flown by Republic	4h 57m	95%	78%
United Details →	ORF 10:45 → IAD 11:48UA 2066	1h 27m Dulles	IAD 13:15 → ORD 14:29UA 2331	4h 44m	96%	76%
Tight connection: often missed
American Details →	ORF 15:31 → PHL 16:50AA 5859 · flown by Piedmont	50m Philadelphia	PHL 17:40 → ORD 19:26AA 1012	4h 55m	54%	28%
American Details →	ORF 15:17 → DFW 17:41AA 2262	57m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 18:38 → ORD 21:22AA 1424	7h 05m	67%	25%
American Details →	ORF 18:56 → DFW 21:19AA 2265	53m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 22:12 → ORD 00:50 +1AA 1193	6h 54m	38%	18%

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 · 1h 08m · leaves 06:05 3%

DFW · 1h 17m · leaves 07:03 8%

PHL · 1h 18m · leaves 06:23 10%

Afternoon and evening

PHL · 50m · leaves 15:31 46%

CLT · 49m · leaves 20:20 56%

DFW · 53m · leaves 18:56 62%

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.


Southwest WN 2673 ORF 06:30 → MCO United UA 2466 MCO 10:52 → ORD Connection details →	2h 22m	7h 32m	100%	92%
Southwest WN 3183 ORF 06:00 → BWI United UA 704 BWI 10:32 → ORD Connection details →	3h 32m	6h 48m	98%	89%
Delta DL 1079 ORF 06:05 → DTW American AA 4103 DTW 10:33 → ORD Connection details →	2h 39m	6h 03m	93%	86%

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