ORD to DEN flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Denver International Airport · 888 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at ORD or DEN 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 Denver (DEN) arrived on time 75% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1.2% 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 (66%).
- Departures scheduled around 7am did best (90% on time); around 6pm did worst (58%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (79% on time) and Monday the least (71%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (47%).
Which airline is most on time from ORD to DEN?
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% | 0.9% | 16 min | 7.7% | 3,816 |
| Envoy AirRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 76% | 0.0% | 13 min | 6.4% | 125 |
| Southwest Airlines | 74% | 1.5% | 18 min | 7.3% | 390 |
| Frontier Airlines | 70% | 3.0% | 37 min | 15.3% | 331 |
| American Airlines | 66% | 1.6% | 27 min | 14.0% | 1,476 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am96%171 flights
- 6am86%263 flights
- 7am90%621 flights
- 8am78%486 flights
- 9am74%182 flights
- 10am85%513 flights
- 11am65%150 flights
- 12pm84%382 flights
- 1pm81%382 flights
- 2pm76%534 flights
- 3pm69%404 flights
- 4pm63%322 flights
- 5pm72%125 flights
- 6pm58%454 flights
- 7pm60%83 flights
- 8pm63%521 flights
- 9pm68%387 flights
- 10pm56%138 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday71%2.2% cancelled
- Tuesday79%0.8% cancelled
- Wednesday75%0.7% cancelled
- Thursday74%0.9% cancelled
- Friday74%1.5% cancelled
- Saturday79%1.3% cancelled
- Sunday73%1.1% 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 aircraft47%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)26%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion22%
- Extreme weather5%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather75%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)18%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion7%
- Security0%
ORD to DEN: common questions
- How often are ORD to DEN 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 Chicago to Denver cancelled?
- 1.2% of scheduled flights were cancelled (76 of 6,138).
- 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 76 min behind schedule on average, and 9.5% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at ORD?
- Flights on this route spent 26 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DEN to ORD — 72% 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 → DEN, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.