IAH to ORD flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from George Bush Intercontinental Airport to Chicago O'Hare International Airport · 925 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at IAH or ORD right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Houston (IAH) to Chicago (ORD) arrived on time 75% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1.6% were cancelled, and 10% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (79% on time); American Airlines was the least (67%).
- Departures scheduled around 5am did best (95% on time); around 6pm did worst (59%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (79% on time) and Sunday the least (71%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (38%).
Which airline is most on time from IAH 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 79% | 0.7% | 16 min | 7.5% | 4,048 |
| Republic AirwaysRegional airline operating flights for American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. | 73% | 3.6% | 22 min | 13.8% | 365 |
| Envoy AirRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 73% | 1.1% | 18 min | 8.6% | 354 |
| American Airlines | 67% | 3.6% | 40 min | 14.8% | 812 |
| Frontier Airlines | 65% | 4.2% | 48 min | 19.6% | 262 |
| Spirit Airlines | 63% | 4.8% | 27 min | 15.4% | 272 |
| PSA AirlinesRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 50% | 0.0% | 78 min | 50.0% | 4 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 50% | 0.0% | 23 min | 0.0% | 2 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am95%349 flights
- 6am84%691 flights
- 7am88%444 flights
- 8am89%406 flights
- 9am86%285 flights
- 10am76%264 flights
- 11am72%488 flights
- 12pm73%121 flights
- 1pm70%402 flights
- 2pm71%375 flights
- 4pm59%243 flights
- 5pm59%472 flights
- 6pm59%652 flights
- 7pm77%102 flights
- 8pm71%340 flights
- 9pm80%290 flights
- 10pm78%151 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday74%2.1% cancelled
- Tuesday79%1.6% cancelled
- Wednesday78%1.3% cancelled
- Thursday78%1.2% cancelled
- Friday72%1.2% cancelled
- Saturday76%1.6% cancelled
- Sunday71%2.1% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Late-arriving aircraft38%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion37%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)22%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather78%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)11%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion10%
- Security0%
IAH to ORD: common questions
- How often are IAH to ORD flights on time?
- 75% 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 Houston to Chicago cancelled?
- 1.6% of scheduled flights were cancelled (97 of 6,119).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 22 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 83 min behind schedule on average, and 9.7% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at IAH?
- Flights on this route spent 20 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: ORD to IAH — 76% on time
More flights from Houston
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: IAH → ORD, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.