RDU to ORD flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Raleigh-Durham International Airport to Chicago O'Hare International Airport · 646 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at RDU or ORD right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Raleigh/Durham (RDU) to Chicago (ORD) arrived on time 75% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 2.9% were cancelled, and 11% arrived an hour or more late.
- American Airlines was the most punctual airline here (81% on time); Republic Airways was the least (72%).
- Departures scheduled around 9am did best (89% on time); around 5pm did worst (45%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (77% on time) and Friday the least (72%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (34%).
Which airline is most on time from RDU to ORD?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 81% | 4.0% | 30 min | 9.0% | 523 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 81% | 3.8% | 38 min | 7.9% | 133 |
| United Airlines | 76% | 1.5% | 24 min | 9.2% | 1,275 |
| Envoy AirRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 72% | 1.9% | 25 min | 12.6% | 521 |
| Republic AirwaysRegional airline operating flights for American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. | 72% | 4.1% | 23 min | 11.7% | 1,086 |
| Frontier Airlines | 58% | 5.3% | 63 min | 24.3% | 114 |
| PSA AirlinesRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 50% | 0.0% | 16 min | 0.0% | 2 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am91%105 flights
- 6am89%410 flights
- 7am83%265 flights
- 8am85%166 flights
- 9am89%175 flights
- 10am88%416 flights
- 11am76%38 flights
- 12pm78%160 flights
- 1pm80%519 flights
- 2pm51%45 flights
- 3pm71%290 flights
- 4pm64%247 flights
- 5pm45%356 flights
- 6pm59%286 flights
- 7pm57%137 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday73%3.9% cancelled
- Tuesday77%2.9% cancelled
- Wednesday77%1.0% cancelled
- Thursday76%2.4% cancelled
- Friday72%1.6% cancelled
- Saturday76%3.8% cancelled
- Sunday73%4.7% 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 aircraft34%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion34%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)24%
- Extreme weather8%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather74%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion23%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)4%
- Security0%
RDU to ORD: common questions
- How often are RDU to ORD 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 Raleigh/Durham to Chicago cancelled?
- 2.9% of scheduled flights were cancelled (106 of 3,654).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 26 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 101 min behind schedule on average, and 10.8% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at RDU?
- Flights on this route spent 20 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: ORD to RDU — 74% on time
More flights from Raleigh/Durham
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: RDU → ORD, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.