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

No clear winner: Delta’s XNA → DTW flights land within a few points of 3 in 4 on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


Delta	XNA	DTW	2h 13m	76%	0.3%	358	Flying now

Best connections, any airlines

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

Ranked by chance you reach Detroit on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included (Detroit is 1 h ahead of Fayetteville/Springdale/). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


United Details →	XNA 05:50 → DEN 06:57UA 5969 · flown by SkyWest	2h 38m Denver	DEN 09:35 → DTW 14:27UA 1915	7h 37m	97%	93%
United Details →	XNA 09:00 → IAH 11:00UA 5803 · flown by SkyWest	2h 58m Houston	IAH 13:58 → DTW 17:59UA 6131 · flown by Mesa	7h 59m	96%	85%
United Details →	XNA 06:30 → IAH 08:21UA 4051 · flown by Mesa	1h 24m Houston	IAH 09:45 → DTW 13:42UA 4064 · flown by Mesa	6h 12m	94%	84%
American + Deltatwo ticketsDetails →	XNA 06:08 → PHL 09:59AA 1015	2h 37m Philadelphia	PHL 12:36 → DTW 14:20DL 2331	7h 14m	100%	82%
Delta Details →	XNA 06:00 → ATL 09:00DL 3905 · flown by SkyWest	2h 00m Atlanta	ATL 11:00 → DTW 12:55DL 1240	5h 56m	98%	82%
American Details →	XNA 05:06 → ORD 07:12AA 4088 · flown by Envoy	2h 48m Chicago	ORD 10:00 → DTW 12:32AA 3498 · flown by Envoy	6h 28m	95%	81%
Delta Details →	XNA 07:20 → ATL 10:17DL 5497 · flown by Endeavor	3h 30m Atlanta	ATL 13:47 → DTW 15:43DL 1031	7h 22m	97%	81%
American + Deltatwo ticketsDetails →	XNA 07:00 → DCA 10:39AA 3824 · flown by Envoy	1h 50m Washington	DCA 12:29 → DTW 14:04DL 2476	6h 04m	96%	80%
Tight connection: often missed
Delta Details →	XNA 17:59 → ATL 20:55DL 5126 · flown by Endeavor	58m Atlanta	ATL 21:53 → DTW 23:57DL 651	4h 58m	59%	45%
American Details →	XNA 18:23 → CLT 21:50AA 5443 · flown by PSA	1h 01m Charlotte	CLT 22:51 → DTW 00:41 +1AA 370	5h 18m	58%	41%
Delta Details →	XNA 15:27 → ATL 18:22DL 4442 · flown by SkyWest	53m Atlanta	ATL 19:15 → DTW 21:16DL 1262	4h 49m	56%	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

ORD · 1h 20m · leaves 07:22 7%

DFW · 50m · leaves 05:00 23%

Afternoon and evening

CLT · 1h 01m · leaves 18:23 42%

ATL · 53m · leaves 15:27 44%

ORD · 46m · leaves 14:56 48%

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