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 SDF → MDW flights land within a few points of 85% on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


Southwest	SDF	MDW	1h 15m	85%	1.7%	977	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 Louisville). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Southwest Details →	SDF 07:25 → BNA 07:15WN 3604	2h 05m Nashville	BNA 09:20 → MDW 11:00WN 1473	4h 35m	100%	86%
Delta + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	SDF 06:00 → ATL 07:25DL 2407	2h 35m Atlanta	ATL 10:00 → MDW 11:00WN 224	6h 00m	97%	85%
Delta Details →	SDF 07:05 → ATL 08:34DL 1610	2h 31m Atlanta	ATL 11:05 → MDW 12:05DL 2417	6h 00m	97%	82%
Delta + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	SDF 06:00 → LGA 08:15DL 5652 · flown by Republic	2h 40m New York	LGA 10:55 → MDW 12:15WN 4573	7h 15m	99%	81%
Delta Details →	SDF 07:50 → DTW 09:16DL 5824 · flown by Republic	3h 09m Detroit	DTW 12:25 → MDW 12:46DL 4688 · flown by Endeavor	5h 56m	98%	79%
American + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	SDF 07:37 → PHL 09:38AA 4750 · flown by Republic	1h 44m Philadelphia	PHL 11:22 → MDW 12:32WN 3224	5h 55m	92%	79%
American + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	SDF 08:15 → CLT 09:54AA 2099	1h 41m Charlotte	CLT 11:35 → MDW 12:35WN 4529	5h 20m	80%	76%
Delta + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails →	SDF 06:49 → MSP 08:00DL 4928 · flown by Endeavor	2h 25m Minneapolis	MSP 10:25 → MDW 11:55WN 4345	6h 06m	94%	73%
Tight connection: often missed
Southwest Details →	SDF 12:00 → DAL 13:05WN 4466	1h 00m Dallas	DAL 14:05 → MDW 16:20WN 1358	5h 20m	62%	36%

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.

Afternoon and evening

ATL · 1h 00m · leaves 18:34 18%

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