MSY to ORD flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport to Chicago O'Hare International Airport · 837 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at MSY or ORD right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from New Orleans (MSY) to Chicago (ORD) arrived on time 78% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, in line with the national average.
- 2.5% were cancelled, and 8% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (83% on time); American Airlines was the least (70%).
- Departures scheduled around 1pm did best (91% on time); around 5pm did worst (67%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (82% on time) and Sunday the least (74%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (35%).
Which airline is most on time from MSY 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 | 83% | 1.4% | 14 min | 6.5% | 843 |
| Envoy AirRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 82% | 1.8% | 13 min | 7.9% | 445 |
| Republic AirwaysRegional airline operating flights for American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. | 79% | 3.4% | 16 min | 7.3% | 388 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 72% | 1.8% | 19 min | 8.4% | 109 |
| Spirit Airlines | 72% | 6.8% | 21 min | 9.5% | 205 |
| American Airlines | 70% | 3.0% | 40 min | 12.5% | 400 |
| Frontier Airlines | 64% | 0.0% | 25 min | 18.2% | 11 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am82%316 flights
- 7am89%252 flights
- 8am81%37 flights
- 9am78%173 flights
- 10am85%229 flights
- 11am76%213 flights
- 12pm83%178 flights
- 1pm91%100 flights
- 2pm74%376 flights
- 3pm74%80 flights
- 4pm69%115 flights
- 5pm67%253 flights
- 6pm57%64 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday77%4.1% cancelled
- Tuesday82%2.2% cancelled
- Wednesday80%0.3% cancelled
- Thursday81%2.0% cancelled
- Friday76%3.0% cancelled
- Saturday79%3.5% cancelled
- Sunday74%2.5% 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 aircraft35%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion31%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)29%
- Extreme weather6%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather64%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion28%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)8%
- Security0%
MSY to ORD: common questions
- How often are MSY to ORD flights on time?
- 78% 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 New Orleans to Chicago cancelled?
- 2.5% of scheduled flights were cancelled (61 of 2,401).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 20 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 85 min behind schedule on average, and 8.3% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at MSY?
- Flights on this route spent 14 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: ORD to MSY — 75% on time
More flights from New Orleans
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: MSY → ORD, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.