SDF to ORD flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport to Chicago O'Hare International Airport · 286 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SDF or ORD right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Louisville (SDF) to Chicago (ORD) arrived on time 80% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 2.9% were cancelled, and 8% arrived an hour or more late.
- Republic Airways was the most punctual airline here (83% on time); SkyWest Airlines was the least (70%).
- Departures scheduled around 5am did best (94% on time); around 5pm did worst (59%).
- Thursday was the most reliable day to fly (84% on time) and Friday the least (75%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was air traffic control & airport congestion (39%).
Which airline is most on time from SDF 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republic AirwaysRegional airline operating flights for American Eagle, Delta Connection and United Express. | 83% | 2.7% | 12 min | 6.3% | 1,794 |
| Envoy AirRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 81% | 1.2% | 16 min | 7.3% | 333 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 70% | 4.1% | 27 min | 11.3% | 660 |
| American Airlines | 67% | 0.0% | 17 min | 0.0% | 3 |
| United Airlines | 40% | 0.0% | 34 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).
- 5am94%143 flights
- 6am88%279 flights
- 7am83%425 flights
- 8am82%155 flights
- 9am87%346 flights
- 10am84%190 flights
- 11am87%133 flights
- 12pm71%113 flights
- 1pm74%140 flights
- 2pm75%272 flights
- 5pm59%165 flights
- 6pm69%179 flights
- 7pm71%236 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday79%4.8% cancelled
- Tuesday81%2.6% cancelled
- Wednesday82%3.3% cancelled
- Thursday84%1.7% cancelled
- Friday75%2.2% cancelled
- Saturday78%2.7% cancelled
- Sunday78%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.
- Air traffic control & airport congestion39%
- Late-arriving aircraft36%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)18%
- Extreme weather7%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather69%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion29%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)3%
- Security0%
SDF to ORD: common questions
- How often are SDF to ORD flights on time?
- 80% 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 Louisville to Chicago cancelled?
- 2.9% of scheduled flights were cancelled (80 of 2,796).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 16 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 75 min behind schedule on average, and 7.6% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at SDF?
- Flights on this route spent 20 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: ORD to SDF — 76% on time
More flights from Louisville
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: SDF → ORD, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.