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

No clear winner: American’s SYR → DCA flights land within a few points of 2 in 3 on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops


American	SYR	DCA	1h 29m	67%	5.1%	1,029	Flying now

Best connections, one ticket

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

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


Delta Details →	SYR 06:11 → DTW 07:47DL 2091	2h 18m Detroit	DTW 10:05 → DCA 11:34DL 2476	5h 23m	99%	82%
JetBlue Details →	SYR 07:00 → BOS 08:06B6 374	2h 14m Boston	BOS 10:20 → DCA 12:01B6 1055	5h 00m	96%	79%
Delta Details →	SYR 05:30 → JFK 06:52DL 5363 · flown by Endeavor	1h 43m New York	JFK 08:35 → DCA 10:02DL 5750 · flown by Republic	4h 32m	94%	78%
United Details →	SYR 06:15 → ORD 07:29UA 1008	2h 31m Chicago	ORD 10:00 → DCA 13:04UA 1381	6h 49m	97%	78%
Delta Details →	SYR 07:32 → MSP 09:11DL 2834	1h 15m Minneapolis	MSP 10:26 → DCA 13:48DL 2983	6h 17m	91%	76%
Delta Details →	SYR 06:00 → ATL 08:27DL 1108	2h 33m Atlanta	ATL 11:00 → DCA 12:42DL 737	6h 42m	97%	75%
American Details →	SYR 10:59 → ORD 12:13AA 4044 · flown by Envoy	2h 42m Chicago	ORD 14:55 → DCA 18:00AA 2769	7h 00m	100%	72%
Delta Details →	SYR 06:00 → LGA 07:14DL 5355 · flown by Endeavor	1h 36m New York	LGA 08:50 → DCA 10:15DL 5742 · flown by Republic	4h 15m	91%	70%
Tight connection: often missed
Delta Details →	SYR 12:22 → ATL 14:43DL 1375	47m Atlanta	ATL 15:30 → DCA 17:25DL 850	5h 03m	73%	41%

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

MSP · 1h 15m · leaves 07:32 9%

CLT · 1h 03m · leaves 08:00 16%

ATL · 53m · leaves 06:00 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.


American AA 4134 SYR 06:00 → ORD United UA 1381 ORD 10:00 → DCA Connection details →	2h 36m	7h 04m	95%	80%
JetBlue B6 374 SYR 07:00 → BOS American AA 4349 BOS 11:52 → DCA Connection details →	3h 46m	6h 44m	98%	78%
Delta DL 5355 SYR 06:00 → LGA American AA 4654 LGA 10:47 → DCA Connection details →	3h 33m	6h 17m	94%	75%

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