ORD to SDF flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport · 286 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at ORD or SDF 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 Louisville (SDF) arrived on time 76% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 3.6% were cancelled, and 9% arrived an hour or more late.
- Envoy Air was the most punctual airline here (87% on time); SkyWest Airlines was the least (72%).
- Departures scheduled around 8am did best (92% on time); around 10am did worst (64%).
- Thursday was the most reliable day to fly (81% on time) and Sunday the least (72%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (49%).
Which airline is most on time from ORD to SDF?
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. | 87% | 1.2% | 8 min | 3.7% | 332 |
| Republic AirwaysRegional airline operating flights for American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. | 76% | 4.1% | 19 min | 9.8% | 1,791 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 72% | 3.3% | 19 min | 9.6% | 660 |
| American Airlines | 50% | 0.0% | 35 min | 25.0% | 4 |
| United Airlines | 20% | 0.0% | 36 min | 20.0% | 5 |
| PSA AirlinesRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | – | 100.0% | – | – | 1 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am76%99 flights
- 7am90%167 flights
- 8am92%90 flights
- 9am77%101 flights
- 10am64%213 flights
- 11am87%182 flights
- 1pm87%30 flights
- 2pm71%257 flights
- 3pm79%154 flights
- 4pm77%184 flights
- 5pm75%306 flights
- 6pm78%191 flights
- 7pm75%398 flights
- 8pm71%235 flights
- 9pm74%167 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday74%7.0% cancelled
- Tuesday78%2.8% cancelled
- Wednesday79%2.5% cancelled
- Thursday81%3.2% cancelled
- Friday77%2.9% cancelled
- Saturday74%3.8% cancelled
- Sunday72%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.
- Late-arriving aircraft49%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)24%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion20%
- Extreme weather8%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather67%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion31%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)2%
- Security0%
ORD to SDF: common questions
- How often are ORD to SDF flights on time?
- 76% 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 Louisville cancelled?
- 3.6% of scheduled flights were cancelled (100 of 2,793).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 17 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 70 min behind schedule on average, and 9.0% 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: SDF to ORD — 80% 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 → SDF, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.