ORD to BUF flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Buffalo Niagara International Airport · 474 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at ORD or BUF right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Chicago (ORD) to Buffalo (BUF) arrived on time 71% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 3.1% were cancelled, and 12% arrived an hour or more late.
- Envoy Air was the most punctual airline here (80% on time); American Airlines was the least (60%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (94% on time); around 9pm did worst (42%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (76% on time) and Sunday the least (63%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (49%).
Which airline is most on time from ORD to BUF?
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. | 80% | 2.9% | 13 min | 7.4% | 375 |
| Republic AirwaysRegional airline operating flights for American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. | 76% | 4.8% | 19 min | 8.7% | 376 |
| United Airlines | 75% | 1.2% | 21 min | 10.4% | 592 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 65% | 5.5% | 28 min | 13.2% | 379 |
| American Airlines | 60% | 2.3% | 35 min | 18.3% | 476 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am94%73 flights
- 7am85%275 flights
- 8am85%174 flights
- 9am80%67 flights
- 10am52%57 flights
- 11am78%78 flights
- 1pm75%284 flights
- 2pm75%383 flights
- 3pm83%25 flights
- 5pm67%40 flights
- 6pm61%361 flights
- 7pm59%129 flights
- 8pm53%130 flights
- 9pm42%93 flights
- 10pm36%27 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday70%3.7% cancelled
- Tuesday74%2.6% cancelled
- Wednesday72%1.6% cancelled
- Thursday72%2.5% cancelled
- Friday69%2.5% cancelled
- Saturday76%3.5% cancelled
- Sunday63%5.4% 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 aircraft49%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)27%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion16%
- Extreme weather9%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather75%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion21%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)4%
- Security0%
ORD to BUF: common questions
- How often are ORD to BUF flights on time?
- 71% 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 Chicago to Buffalo cancelled?
- 3.1% of scheduled flights were cancelled (68 of 2,198).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 23 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 78 min behind schedule on average, and 11.8% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at ORD?
- Flights on this route spent 28 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: BUF to ORD — 75% on time
More flights from Chicago
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: ORD → BUF, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.