SFO to ORD flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from San Francisco International Airport to Chicago O'Hare International Airport · 1,846 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SFO or ORD right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from San Francisco (SFO) to Chicago (ORD) arrived on time 76% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1.2% were cancelled, and 9% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (78% on time); American Airlines was the least (73%).
- Departures scheduled around 5am did best (95% on time); around 2pm did worst (56%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (82% on time) and Monday the least (71%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (41%).
Which airline is most on time from SFO 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 78% | 0.9% | 17 min | 8.2% | 3,830 |
| American Airlines | 73% | 1.8% | 29 min | 11.4% | 1,768 |
| Alaska Airlines | 53% | 5.3% | 24 min | 11.8% | 19 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 12am82%132 flights
- 5am95%223 flights
- 6am92%686 flights
- 7am91%153 flights
- 8am84%530 flights
- 10am72%627 flights
- 11am59%64 flights
- 12pm58%222 flights
- 1pm61%466 flights
- 2pm56%390 flights
- 3pm67%368 flights
- 4pm77%343 flights
- 5pm73%100 flights
- 6pm75%231 flights
- 10pm79%246 flights
- 11pm79%817 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday71%2.1% cancelled
- Tuesday82%0.9% cancelled
- Wednesday77%1.3% cancelled
- Thursday75%0.9% cancelled
- Friday75%0.8% cancelled
- Saturday78%1.0% cancelled
- Sunday74%1.3% 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 aircraft41%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)30%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion26%
- Extreme weather2%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather61%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)33%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion6%
- Security0%
SFO to ORD: common questions
- How often are SFO to ORD 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 San Francisco to Chicago cancelled?
- 1.2% of scheduled flights were cancelled (67 of 5,617).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 21 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 84 min behind schedule on average, and 9.2% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at SFO?
- Flights on this route spent 22 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: ORD to SFO — 68% on time
More flights from San Francisco
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: SFO → ORD, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.