ORD to MEM flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Frederick W. Smith International Airport · 491 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at ORD or MEM 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 Memphis (MEM) arrived on time 73% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 3.4% were cancelled, and 10% arrived an hour or more late.
- Envoy Air was the most punctual airline here (79% on time); United Airlines was the least (67%).
- Departures scheduled around 9am did best (81% on time); around 8pm did worst (61%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (78% on time) and Friday the least (68%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (38%).
Which airline is most on time from ORD to MEM?
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% | 3.4% | 13 min | 6.1% | 825 |
| Republic AirwaysRegional airline operating flights for American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. | 72% | 5.5% | 22 min | 13.1% | 470 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 70% | 1.7% | 22 min | 10.6% | 860 |
| United Airlines | 67% | 4.5% | 25 min | 12.3% | 333 |
| American Airlines | 38% | 0.0% | 41 min | 37.5% | 16 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 7am79%60 flights
- 8am80%524 flights
- 9am81%114 flights
- 10am77%44 flights
- 11am86%51 flights
- 12pm77%373 flights
- 1pm76%75 flights
- 3pm68%273 flights
- 4pm67%153 flights
- 5pm72%64 flights
- 7pm70%205 flights
- 8pm61%165 flights
- 9pm66%112 flights
- 10pm64%259 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday72%5.7% cancelled
- Tuesday72%1.4% cancelled
- Wednesday75%1.2% cancelled
- Thursday72%2.2% cancelled
- Friday68%4.6% cancelled
- Saturday78%3.7% cancelled
- Sunday71%4.3% 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 aircraft38%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)28%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion22%
- Extreme weather12%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather71%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion29%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)0%
- Security0%
ORD to MEM: common questions
- How often are ORD to MEM flights on time?
- 73% 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 Memphis cancelled?
- 3.4% of scheduled flights were cancelled (84 of 2,504).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 19 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 67 min behind schedule on average, and 10.0% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at ORD?
- Flights on this route spent 29 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: MEM to ORD — 76% 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 → MEM, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.