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 (seasonal or thin)


United	RAP	ORD	2h 26m	76%	2.0%	394	Flying now
American	RAP	ORD	2h 24m	71%	1.3%	298	Flying now

Best connections, any airlines

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 ahead of Rapid City). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


United Details →	RAP 05:00 → DEN 06:37UA 5576 · flown by SkyWest	1h 23m Denver	DEN 08:00 → ORD 11:44UA 2430	5h 44m	93%	81%
United Details →	RAP 07:00 → DEN 08:23UA 1767	2h 52m Denver	DEN 11:15 → ORD 14:55UA 2865	6h 55m	98%	80%
American + Frontiertwo ticketsDetails →	RAP 06:30 → DFW 10:00AA 4277 · flown by Envoy	3h 19m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 13:19 → ORD 15:59F9 1342	8h 32m	97%	72%
Delta + Americantwo ticketsDetails →	RAP 11:00 → MSP 13:40DL 3971 · flown by SkyWest	2h 16m Minneapolis	MSP 15:56 → ORD 17:44AA 4000 · flown by Envoy	5h 45m	92%	67%
Delta Details →	RAP 06:48 → MSP 09:30DL 3927 · flown by SkyWest	3h 56m Minneapolis	MSP 13:26 → ORD 15:05DL 1533	7h 17m	98%	67%
Delta Details →	RAP 14:59 → MSP 17:38DL 3967 · flown by SkyWest	2h 07m Minneapolis	MSP 19:45 → ORD 21:25DL 1563	5h 26m	97%	66%
United Details →	RAP 09:00 → DEN 10:35UA 5884 · flown by SkyWest	2h 50m Denver	DEN 13:25 → ORD 17:05UA 617	7h 05m	97%	65%
United Details →	RAP 15:31 → DEN 17:10UA 5805 · flown by SkyWest	3h 55m Denver	DEN 21:05 → ORD 00:44 +1UA 2649	8h 13m	97%	64%
Tight connection: often missed
United Details →	RAP 16:36 → DEN 18:20UA 5947 · flown by SkyWest	50m Denver	DEN 19:10 → ORD 22:49UA 2258	5h 13m	60%	41%
American Details →	RAP 11:50 → CLT 17:25AA 5579 · flown by PSA	1h 01m Charlotte	CLT 18:26 → ORD 19:51AA 2488	7h 01m	71%	31%
United Details →	RAP 15:31 → DEN 17:10UA 5805 · flown by SkyWest	50m Denver	DEN 18:00 → ORD 21:39UA 1411	5h 08m	59%	29%

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

DEN · 1h 12m · leaves 07:00 8%

Afternoon and evening

CLT · 1h 01m · leaves 11:50 29%

DEN · 50m · leaves 15:31 41%

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