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, 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 Raleigh/Durham). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Southwest Details →	RDU 06:25 → STL 07:30WN 3435	1h 25m St Louis	STL 08:55 → MDW 10:00WN 2570	4h 35m	96%	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%
Delta Details →	RDU 05:20 → ATL 06:44DL 1552	2h 25m Atlanta	ATL 09:09 → MDW 10:09DL 1063	5h 49m	98%	81%
Delta Details →	RDU 11:15 → ATL 12:42DL 1699	2h 33m Atlanta	ATL 15:15 → MDW 16:15DL 1728	6h 00m	99%	74%
Delta Details →	RDU 17:19 → ATL 18:51DL 1550	2h 24m Atlanta	ATL 21:15 → MDW 22:17DL 1076	5h 58m	96%	71%
Delta Details →	RDU 05:33 → DTW 07:18DL 1388	1h 32m Detroit	DTW 08:50 → MDW 09:14DL 4684 · flown by Endeavor	4h 41m	96%	71%
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.


American AA 2420 RDU 06:41 → CLT Southwest WN 4529 CLT 11:35 → MDW Connection details →	3h 46m	6h 54m	100%	95%
Delta DL 1552 RDU 05:20 → ATL Southwest WN 224 ATL 10:00 → MDW Connection details →	3h 16m	6h 40m	98%	85%
American AA 1903 RDU 05:01 → CLT Southwest WN 3048 CLT 07:35 → MDW Connection details →	1h 35m	4h 39m	92%	81%

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