DEN to ORD flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Denver International Airport to Chicago O'Hare International Airport · 888 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DEN or ORD right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Denver (DEN) to Chicago (ORD) arrived on time 72% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1.1% were cancelled, and 11% arrived an hour or more late.
- American Airlines was the most punctual airline here (74% on time); Frontier Airlines was the least (67%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (89% on time); around 5pm did worst (55%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (76% on time) and Sunday the least (69%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was air traffic control & airport congestion (37%).
Which airline is most on time from DEN to ORD?
Ranked by on-time arrival rate. Regional airlines fly under their partner's brand (e.g. SkyWest for Delta Connection or United Express).
| Airline | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay | 1 hr+ late | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Envoy AirRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 74% | 0.8% | 16 min | 8.1% | 125 |
| American Airlines | 74% | 1.9% | 33 min | 12.4% | 1,474 |
| United Airlines | 72% | 0.8% | 23 min | 9.7% | 3,815 |
| Southwest Airlines | 68% | 0.5% | 20 min | 9.6% | 389 |
| Frontier Airlines | 67% | 2.1% | 29 min | 15.0% | 328 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am89%487 flights
- 7am87%686 flights
- 8am92%106 flights
- 9am82%598 flights
- 10am77%172 flights
- 11am75%446 flights
- 12pm75%354 flights
- 1pm68%468 flights
- 2pm65%279 flights
- 3pm59%296 flights
- 4pm58%535 flights
- 5pm55%662 flights
- 6pm41%113 flights
- 7pm69%408 flights
- 8pm73%405 flights
- 9pm77%112 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday71%1.9% cancelled
- Tuesday76%0.9% cancelled
- Wednesday73%0.8% cancelled
- Thursday71%1.2% cancelled
- Friday72%1.2% cancelled
- Saturday74%1.0% cancelled
- Sunday69%0.8% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Air traffic control & airport congestion37%
- Late-arriving aircraft36%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)24%
- Extreme weather4%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather75%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)19%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion6%
- Security0%
DEN to ORD: common questions
- How often are DEN to ORD flights on time?
- 72% of flights arrived less than 15 minutes late in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, compared with 78% for all US flights.
- How often are flights from Denver to Chicago cancelled?
- 1.1% of scheduled flights were cancelled (69 of 6,131).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 25 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 87 min behind schedule on average, and 10.6% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DEN?
- Flights on this route spent 19 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: ORD to DEN — 75% on time
More flights from Denver
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: DEN → ORD, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.