ORD to CAE flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Columbia Metropolitan Airport · 666 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at ORD or CAE 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 Columbia (CAE) arrived on time 70% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 3.3% were cancelled, and 12% arrived an hour or more late.
- Envoy Air was the most punctual airline here (79% on time); SkyWest Airlines was the least (66%).
- Departures scheduled around 7am did best (92% on time); around 6pm did worst (51%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (76% on time) and Sunday the least (59%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (43%).
Which airline is most on time from ORD to CAE?
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. | 79% | 4.9% | 14 min | 7.3% | 144 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 66% | 2.7% | 24 min | 13.4% | 370 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 7am92%49 flights
- 10am63%114 flights
- 1pm76%166 flights
- 6pm51%86 flights
- 7pm79%38 flights
- 8pm73%34 flights
- 9pm56%18 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday73%3.9% cancelled
- Tuesday74%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday66%5.6% cancelled
- Thursday72%2.6% cancelled
- Friday69%1.3% cancelled
- Saturday76%7.2% cancelled
- Sunday59%2.7% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)43%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion27%
- Late-arriving aircraft26%
- Extreme weather4%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather76%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion24%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)0%
- Security0%
ORD to CAE: common questions
- How often are ORD to CAE flights on time?
- 70% 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 Columbia cancelled?
- 3.3% of scheduled flights were cancelled (17 of 514).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 21 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 66 min behind schedule on average, and 11.7% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at ORD?
- Flights on this route spent 34 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: CAE to ORD — 77% 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 → CAE, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.