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

No clear winner: United’s RSW → IAD flights land within a few points of 9 in 10 on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


United	RSW	IAD	2h 28m	90%	1.1%	467	Flying now

Best connections, any airlines

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

Ranked by chance you reach Dulles on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included. Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Southwest + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	RSW 06:15 → MCO 07:15WN 4872	1h 40m Orlando	MCO 08:55 → IAD 11:14UA 276	4h 59m	98%	92%
United Details →	RSW 07:00 → ORD 09:23UA 1554	1h 44m Chicago	ORD 11:07 → IAD 14:12UA 1869	7h 12m	100%	88%
Delta + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	RSW 07:00 → MSP 09:30DL 2219	2h 59m Minneapolis	MSP 12:29 → IAD 15:56UA 1951	8h 56m	98%	85%
Delta Details →	RSW 06:45 → ATL 08:33DL 1361	3h 44m Atlanta	ATL 12:17 → IAD 14:02DL 2135	7h 17m	99%	83%
American + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	RSW 06:22 → CLT 08:20AA 1097	2h 07m Charlotte	CLT 10:27 → IAD 11:55UA 4012 · flown by Mesa	5h 33m	97%	83%
Delta + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	RSW 05:37 → ATL 07:23DL 1385	2h 02m Atlanta	ATL 09:25 → IAD 11:15UA 632	5h 38m	96%	82%
Southwest + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	RSW 13:20 → CMH 15:45WN 3466	3h 55m Columbus	CMH 19:40 → IAD 21:09UA 4593 · flown by GoJet	7h 49m	100%	81%
Southwest + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	RSW 09:30 → BNA 10:30WN 3461	3h 05m Nashville	BNA 13:35 → IAD 16:28UA 2125	6h 58m	100%	80%
Tight connection: often missed
Delta Details →	RSW 17:46 → DTW 20:44DL 2559	54m Detroit	DTW 21:38 → IAD 23:14DL 3988 · flown by SkyWest	5h 28m	61%	39%
American Details →	RSW 11:50 → DFW 13:43AA 2428	51m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 14:34 → IAD 18:34AA 1904	6h 45m	63%	37%
American Details →	RSW 19:41 → CLT 21:45AA 2442	1h 00m Charlotte	CLT 22:45 → IAD 00:10 +1AA 1242	4h 29m	74%	28%

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

ATL · 1h 17m · leaves 06:45 4%

Afternoon and evening

JFK · 1h 10m · leaves 12:24 12%

CLT · 1h 00m · leaves 19:41 26%

DTW · 54m · leaves 17:46 39%

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