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 SEA → MDW flights land within a few points of 82% on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


Southwest	SEA	MDW	3h 55m	82%	0.4%	678	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 2 h ahead of Seattle). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Southwest Details →	SEA 18:05 → SMF 20:05WN 3566	3h 45m Sacramento	SMF 23:50 → MDW 05:45 +1WN 3802	9h 40m	97%	89%
Delta Details →	SEA 22:58 → ATL 06:45DL 409	2h 24m Atlanta	ATL 09:09 → MDW 10:09 +1DL 1063	9h 11m	100%	85%
Delta Details →	SEA 23:59 → ATL 07:46DL 652	3h 19m Atlanta	ATL 11:05 → MDW 12:05 +1DL 2417	10h 06m	99%	85%
Southwest Details →	SEA 17:35 → LAS 20:15WN 2267	3h 40m Las Vegas	LAS 23:55 → MDW 05:25 +1WN 2276	9h 50m	100%	84%
Southwest Details →	SEA 05:15 → DEN 08:50WN 3615	1h 10m Denver	DEN 10:00 → MDW 13:25WN 755	6h 10m	96%	84%
Delta Details →	SEA 23:59 → MSP 05:17DL 953	1h 38m Minneapolis	MSP 06:55 → MDW 08:37 +1DL 4712 · flown by Endeavor	6h 38m	97%	80%
Delta Details →	SEA 06:00 → ATL 13:49DL 569	1h 26m Atlanta	ATL 15:15 → MDW 16:15DL 1728	8h 15m	98%	73%
Delta Details →	SEA 23:10 → DTW 06:27DL 810	2h 23m Detroit	DTW 08:50 → MDW 09:14 +1DL 4684 · flown by Endeavor	8h 04m	99%	73%
Tight connection: often missed
Southwest Details →	SEA 13:30 → AUS 19:40WN 4956	1h 20m Austin	AUS 21:00 → MDW 23:35WN 361	8h 02m	70%	45%
Southwest Details →	SEA 20:25 → OAK 22:35WN 2890	1h 20m Oakland	OAK 23:55 → MDW 06:00 +1WN 3059	7h 35m	49%	31%
Southwest Details →	SEA 15:05 → DAL 21:00WN 1404	1h 22m Dallas	DAL 22:22 → MDW 01:00 +1WN 1359	7h 32m	55%	18%

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

DEN · 1h 10m · leaves 05:15 4%

BWI · 50m · leaves 21:25 62%

Afternoon and evening

DTW · 1h 02m · leaves 09:45 10%

AUS · 1h 20m · leaves 13:30 30%

OAK · 1h 20m · leaves 20:25 51%

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.


Alaska AS 298 SEA 22:05 → CVG Southwest WN 3016 CVG 08:00 → MDW Connection details →	2h 30m	8h 00m	98%	96%
Alaska AS 539 SEA 17:45 → SJC Southwest WN 3886 SJC 22:55 → MDW Connection details →	2h 55m	9h 15m	100%	94%
Alaska AS 280 SEA 22:12 → CMH Southwest WN 1197 CMH 09:00 → MDW Connection details →	3h 20m	8h 58m	100%	93%

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