Itineraries flown on 20+ days in the Jun 6 – Jul 31, 2026 schedule · each leg’s record Aug 2025 – Jul 2026

No clear winner: Southwest’s RDU → MDW flights land within a few points of 4 in 5 on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


Southwest	RDU	MDW	2h 00m	80%	2.0%	961	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 behind Raleigh/Durham). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


American + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	RDU 06:41 → CLT 07:49AA 2420	3h 46m Charlotte	CLT 11:35 → MDW 12:35WN 4529	6h 54m	100%	95%
Southwest Details →	RDU 06:25 → STL 07:30WN 3435	1h 25m St Louis	STL 08:55 → MDW 10:00WN 2570	4h 35m	96%	85%
Delta + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	RDU 05:20 → ATL 06:44DL 1552	3h 16m Atlanta	ATL 10:00 → MDW 11:00WN 224	6h 40m	98%	85%
Southwest Details →	RDU 06:38 → BNA 07:08WN 3418	2h 12m Nashville	BNA 09:20 → MDW 11:00WN 1473	5h 22m	98%	84%
Delta Details →	RDU 06:20 → ATL 07:48DL 1192	3h 17m Atlanta	ATL 11:05 → MDW 12:05DL 2417	6h 45m	99%	82%
Southwest Details →	RDU 05:05 → HOU 06:50WN 4771	1h 20m Houston	HOU 08:10 → MDW 10:40WN 1294	6h 35m	97%	82%
American + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	RDU 05:01 → CLT 06:00AA 1903	1h 35m Charlotte	CLT 07:35 → MDW 08:40WN 3048	4h 39m	92%	81%
American + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	RDU 06:00 → DCA 07:14AA 2985	2h 11m Washington	DCA 09:25 → MDW 10:20WN 1444	5h 20m	96%	80%
Tight connection: often missed
Delta Details →	RDU 18:27 → ATL 20:01DL 2621	1h 14m Atlanta	ATL 21:15 → MDW 22:17DL 1076	4h 50m	63%	48%
Southwest Details →	RDU 19:50 → STL 20:55WN 3457	50m St Louis	STL 21:45 → MDW 22:55WN 3957	4h 00m	19%	13%

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

DTW · 49m · leaves 09:54 15%

Afternoon and evening

ATL · 1h 14m · leaves 18:27 37%

STL · 50m · leaves 19:50 81%

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