ORD to FAI flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Fairbanks International Airport · 2,785 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at ORD or FAI 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 Fairbanks (FAI) arrived on time 72% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1.4% were cancelled, and 6% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (86% on time) and Wednesday the least (60%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (42%).
Which airline is most on time from ORD to FAI?
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 | 72% | 1.4% | 20 min | 6.2% | 148 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
Not enough departures across different hours to compare.
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday63%9.5% cancelled
- Tuesday76%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday60%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday71%0.0% cancelled
- Friday77%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday86%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday71%0.0% 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)42%
- Late-arriving aircraft29%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion26%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather100%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)0%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
ORD to FAI: common questions
- How often are ORD to FAI flights on time?
- 72% 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 Fairbanks cancelled?
- 1.4% of scheduled flights were cancelled (2 of 148).
- 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 67 min behind schedule on average, and 6.2% 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: FAI to ORD — 77% on time
More flights from Chicago
More flights to Fairbanks
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: ORD → FAI, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.