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

Connect in the morning. The same one-hour layover misses 7% of the time at 8 am and 1 time in 5 at 6 pm.

Nonstops


Delta	SDF	DTW	1h 27m	81%	0.9%	1,301	Flying now
Spirit	SDF	DTW	–	100%few flights	0.0%	10	Not flying now

Best connections, one ticket

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

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


United Details →	SDF 06:15 → IAH 07:42UA 6266 · flown by Mesa	2h 03m Houston	IAH 09:45 → DTW 13:42UA 4064 · flown by Mesa	7h 27m	98%	87%
Delta Details →	SDF 06:00 → ATL 07:25DL 2407	1h 53m Atlanta	ATL 09:18 → DTW 11:10DL 1298	5h 12m	98%	82%
United Details →	SDF 06:00 → IAD 07:35UA 3438 · flown by Republic	1h 00m Dulles	IAD 08:35 → DTW 10:14UA 6137 · flown by Mesa	4h 14m	93%	82%
American Details →	SDF 06:51 → ORD 07:38AA 4622 · flown by Republic	2h 22m Chicago	ORD 10:00 → DTW 12:32AA 3498 · flown by Envoy	5h 43m	96%	81%
Delta Details →	SDF 07:05 → ATL 08:34DL 1610	2h 26m Atlanta	ATL 11:00 → DTW 12:55DL 1240	5h 51m	97%	80%
Delta Details →	SDF 06:00 → LGA 08:15DL 5652 · flown by Republic	1h 10m New York	LGA 09:25 → DTW 11:25DL 1078	5h 24m	93%	78%
American Details →	SDF 11:05 → ORD 11:44AA 4704 · flown by Republic	3h 15m Chicago	ORD 14:59 → DTW 17:34AA 3980 · flown by Envoy	6h 29m	99%	78%
Delta Details →	SDF 10:00 → ATL 11:24DL 1523	2h 23m Atlanta	ATL 13:47 → DTW 15:43DL 1031	5h 42m	95%	78%
Tight connection: often missed
United Details →	SDF 17:50 → ORD 18:40UA 5929 · flown by SkyWest	1h 07m Chicago	ORD 19:47 → DTW 22:19UA 2426	4h 29m	75%	43%
United Details →	SDF 14:10 → ORD 14:50UA 5603 · flown by SkyWest	1h 10m Chicago	ORD 16:00 → DTW 18:38UA 5954 · flown by SkyWest	4h 28m	67%	38%

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

LGA · 1h 10m · leaves 06:00 7%

ATL · 1h 20m · leaves 08:10 7%

IAD · 1h 00m · leaves 06:00 7%

Afternoon and evening

IAH · 1h 20m · leaves 15:41 15%

ATL · 56m · leaves 16:40 20%

CLT · 56m · leaves 20:19 20%

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.


United UA 3438 SDF 06:00 → IAD Delta DL 2884 IAD 11:10 → DTW Connection details →	3h 35m	6h 44m	99%	87%
American AA 4750 SDF 07:37 → PHL Delta DL 2331 PHL 12:36 → DTW Connection details →	2h 58m	6h 45m	98%	85%
Southwest WN 3604 SDF 07:25 → BNA Delta DL 2682 BNA 10:06 → DTW Connection details →	2h 51m	5h 24m	100%	84%

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