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 1 time in 10 at 10 am and 31% of the time at 3 pm.

Nonstops


American	SDF	ORD	1h 41m	81%	3.2%	1,316	Flying now
United	SDF	ORD	1h 42m	76%	3.1%	2,010	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 Louisville). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


United Details →	SDF 06:00 → IAD 07:35UA 3438 · flown by Republic	2h 56m Dulles	IAD 10:31 → ORD 11:53UA 1252	6h 53m	99%	89%
United Details →	SDF 06:15 → IAH 07:42UA 6266 · flown by Mesa	1h 53m Houston	IAH 09:35 → ORD 12:29UA 2124	7h 14m	97%	82%
United Details →	SDF 08:00 → DEN 08:59UA 1506	2h 16m Denver	DEN 11:15 → ORD 14:55UA 2865	7h 55m	99%	81%
Delta Details →	SDF 07:50 → DTW 09:16DL 5824 · flown by Republic	59m Detroit	DTW 10:15 → ORD 10:50DL 3673 · flown by SkyWest	4h 00m	89%	80%
American Details →	SDF 06:00 → DCA 07:50AA 4549 · flown by Republic	3h 45m Washington	DCA 11:35 → ORD 12:53AA 489	7h 53m	100%	79%
American Details →	SDF 05:04 → CLT 06:41AA 5255 · flown by PSA	1h 05m Charlotte	CLT 07:46 → ORD 09:02AA 2843	4h 58m	90%	77%
American Details →	SDF 07:37 → PHL 09:38AA 4750 · flown by Republic	57m Philadelphia	PHL 10:35 → ORD 12:09AA 1041	5h 32m	91%	75%
American Details →	SDF 08:15 → CLT 09:54AA 2099	1h 07m Charlotte	CLT 11:01 → ORD 12:19AA 2908	5h 04m	86%	75%
Tight connection: often missed
Delta Details →	SDF 17:26 → DTW 18:58DL 4947 · flown by Endeavor	1h 02m Detroit	DTW 20:00 → ORD 20:31DL 1665	4h 05m	67%	42%
American Details →	SDF 15:39 → CLT 17:24AA 5397 · flown by PSA	1h 02m Charlotte	CLT 18:26 → ORD 19:51AA 2488	5h 12m	70%	33%
American Details →	SDF 19:50 → DFW 21:12AA 2519	1h 00m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 22:12 → ORD 00:50 +1AA 1193	6h 00m	36%	17%

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

PHL · 57m · leaves 07:37 9%

CLT · 1h 05m · leaves 05:04 10%

DTW · 59m · leaves 07:50 11%

Afternoon and evening

DTW · 1h 02m · leaves 17:26 33%

PHL · 1h 09m · leaves 18:25 38%

DFW · 1h 00m · leaves 19:50 64%

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.


Southwest WN 4679 SDF 06:40 → MCO United UA 2466 MCO 10:52 → ORD Connection details →	2h 12m	7h 22m	98%	90%
American AA 4549 SDF 06:00 → DCA United UA 2201 DCA 10:30 → ORD Connection details →	2h 40m	6h 48m	97%	86%
Southwest WN 4612 SDF 05:50 → BWI United UA 704 BWI 10:32 → ORD Connection details →	3h 07m	6h 58m	98%	86%

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