Route on-time record
SFO to ORD: most on-time flights and the best time to fly
San Francisco (San Francisco International Airport) to Chicago (Chicago O'Hare International Airport). 5,609 nonstop flights in Jun 2025 to May 2026, 77% arrived within 15 minutes and 1.3% were cancelled. The most reliable flight number was United 2000 at 5:30 AM.
Flying on a specific date? We’ll adjust for the month, the weekday and the forecast.
SFO → ORD
San Francisco to Chicago: 5,609 nonstop flights a year
On time (12 months)
77%
Cancelled
1.3%
avg delay 19 min
Best time to leave
Before 9 AM
90% on time vs 60% noon to 3 PM
Most reliable airline
United
78% chance on time
Lowest nonstop fare seen in the next two months: $163 (American 2614 on 2026-10-30). Fares open on our travel partner (Aviasales). Pick the flight number you chose here.
Most reliable nonstop flights
Ranked by the chance the flight operates and arrives within 15 minutes of schedule, from Jun 2025 to May 2026 records.
#1 · United 2000
5:30 AM → 11:55 AM4h 25m nonstop
Local times, typical schedule. Last flown 2026-05-31.
92%
chance on time
- On time (history)
- 94%
- Cancelled
- 0.0%
- Avg arrival delay
- 6 min
- Arrived on time 94% of the time (31 flights, Jun 2025 to May 2026).
- Never cancelled in 32 scheduled flights.
- Leaves in this route's most on-time window (Before 9 AM: 90% on time; Noon to 3 PM: 60%).
- Departs outside SFO's trouble window (7 AM to 1 PM, when 61% of its 333 ground stops and delay programs started).
Limited track record · 31 flights
Find United 2000 fares Opens this date on Aviasales#2 · United 2091
6:33 AM → 1:00 PM4h 27m nonstop
Local times, typical schedule. Last flown 2026-05-31.
91%
chance on time
- On time (history)
- 92%
- Cancelled
- 0.0%
- Avg arrival delay
- 5 min
- Arrived on time 92% of the time (247 flights, Jun 2025 to May 2026).
- Never cancelled in 248 scheduled flights.
- Leaves in this route's most on-time window (Before 9 AM: 90% on time; Noon to 3 PM: 60%).
- Departs outside SFO's trouble window (7 AM to 1 PM, when 61% of its 333 ground stops and delay programs started).
Strong track record · 247 flights
Find United 2091 fares Opens this date on Aviasales#3 · American 2614
6:00 AM → 11:58 AM4h 28m nonstop
Local times, typical schedule. Last flown 2026-05-31.
91%
chance on time
- On time (history)
- 93%
- Cancelled
- 1.7%
- Avg arrival delay
- 18 min
- Arrived on time 93% of the time (356 flights, Jun 2025 to May 2026).
- Leaves in this route's most on-time window (Before 9 AM: 90% on time; Noon to 3 PM: 60%).
- Departs outside SFO's trouble window (7 AM to 1 PM, when 61% of its 333 ground stops and delay programs started).
Strong track record · 356 flights
Find American 2614 fares Opens this date on Aviasales#4 · United 2278
10:50 PM → 5:27 AM4h 30m nonstop
Local times, typical schedule. Last flown 2026-05-31.
85%
chance on time
- On time (history)
- 88%
- Cancelled
- 2.8%
- Avg arrival delay
- 11 min
- Arrived on time 88% of the time (106 flights, Jun 2025 to May 2026).
- Departs outside SFO's trouble window (7 AM to 1 PM, when 61% of its 333 ground stops and delay programs started).
Moderate track record · 106 flights
Find United 2278 fares Opens this date on Aviasales#5 · United 1568
8:20 AM → 2:54 PM4h 34m nonstop
Local times, typical schedule. Last flown 2026-05-31.
85%
chance on time
- On time (history)
- 85%
- Cancelled
- 0.8%
- Avg arrival delay
- 11 min
- Arrived on time 85% of the time (127 flights, Jun 2025 to May 2026).
- Leaves in this route's most on-time window (Before 9 AM: 90% on time; Noon to 3 PM: 60%).
- Departs inside SFO's trouble window: 61% of its 333 ground stops and delay programs started between 7 AM and 1 PM.
- Lands inside ORD's trouble window: 44% of its 243 ground stops and delay programs started between 2 PM and 8 PM.
Moderate track record · 127 flights
Find United 1568 fares Opens this date on Aviasales#6 · American 359
8:00 AM → 2:35 PM4h 35m nonstop
Local times, typical schedule. Last flown 2026-05-31.
85%
chance on time
- On time (history)
- 87%
- Cancelled
- 2.7%
- Avg arrival delay
- 29 min
- Arrived on time 87% of the time (71 flights, Jun 2025 to May 2026).
- Leaves in this route's most on-time window (Before 9 AM: 90% on time; Noon to 3 PM: 60%).
- Departs inside SFO's trouble window: 61% of its 333 ground stops and delay programs started between 7 AM and 1 PM.
- Lands inside ORD's trouble window: 44% of its 243 ground stops and delay programs started between 2 PM and 8 PM.
Moderate track record · 71 flights
Find American 359 fares Opens this date on Aviasales#7 · American 1829
7:21 AM → 2:00 PM4h 39m nonstop
Local times, typical schedule. Last flown 2026-05-20.
84%
chance on time
- On time (history)
- 93%
- Cancelled
- 0.0%
- Avg arrival delay
- 1 min
- Arrived on time 93% of the time (14 flights, Jun 2025 to May 2026).
- Leaves in this route's most on-time window (Before 9 AM: 90% on time; Noon to 3 PM: 60%).
- Departs inside SFO's trouble window: 61% of its 333 ground stops and delay programs started between 7 AM and 1 PM.
- Lands inside ORD's trouble window: 44% of its 243 ground stops and delay programs started between 2 PM and 8 PM.
Limited track record · 14 flights
Find American 1829 fares Opens this date on Aviasales#8 · United 1763
6:34 PM → 12:59 AM4h 25m nonstop
Local times, typical schedule. Last flown 2026-05-31. Same departure also flew as United 1230, 2262; its record covers all of them.
84%
chance on time
- On time (history)
- 84%
- Cancelled
- 0.0%
- Avg arrival delay
- 16 min
- Arrived on time 84% of the time (88 flights, Jun 2025 to May 2026).
- Never cancelled in 89 scheduled flights.
- Departs outside SFO's trouble window (7 AM to 1 PM, when 61% of its 333 ground stops and delay programs started).
- 61% of its delay minutes came from the plane arriving late from an earlier flight.
Moderate track record · 88 flights
Find United 1763 fares Opens this date on Aviasales#9 · United 2056
11:52 PM → 6:20 AM4h 24m nonstop
Local times, typical schedule. Last flown 2026-05-20.
84%
chance on time
- On time (history)
- 86%
- Cancelled
- 0.0%
- Avg arrival delay
- 12 min
- Arrived on time 86% of the time (97 flights, Jun 2025 to May 2026).
- Never cancelled in 98 scheduled flights.
- Departs outside SFO's trouble window (7 AM to 1 PM, when 61% of its 333 ground stops and delay programs started).
Moderate track record · 97 flights
Find United 2056 fares Opens this date on Aviasales#10 · United 1958
7:00 PM → 1:28 AM4h 28m nonstop
Local times, typical schedule. Last flown 2026-04-27.
82%
chance on time
- On time (history)
- 92%
- Cancelled
- 7.7%
- Avg arrival delay
- 10 min
- Arrived on time 92% of the time (12 flights, Jun 2025 to May 2026).
- Departs outside SFO's trouble window (7 AM to 1 PM, when 61% of its 333 ground stops and delay programs started).
- Short track record (12 flights), so its score leans on the airline's record at this hour.
Limited track record · 12 flights
Find United 1958 fares Opens this date on Aviasales
Airlines on this route
Season-adjusted chance of operating and arriving on time.
- United Airlines78%
3,774 flights · 79% on time as flown · 1.0% cancel
- American Airlines72%
1,755 flights · 73% on time as flown · 1.8% cancel
- Alaska Airlines69%
80 flights · 61% on time as flown · 2.2% cancel
On time by departure time
All airlines, scheduled local departure, Jun 2025 to May 2026.
- Before 9 AM90%
1,611 flights · avg delay 12 min
- 9 AM to noon71%
741 flights · avg delay 23 min
- Noon to 3 PM60%
1,130 flights · avg delay 29 min
- 3 to 6 PM75%
695 flights · avg delay 19 min
- 6 to 9 PM83%
245 flights · avg delay 21 min
- After 9 PM79%
1,187 flights · avg delay 17 min
Best day: Tuesday (82%). Worst: Friday (77%).
Smarter routing
Nearby airports that run more on time
SJC → ORD 91% chance on time
Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport to Chicago O'Hare International Airport · 301 flights a year · 30 mi from your airports · yours: 76%
OAK → MDW 88% chance on time
Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport to Chicago Midway International Airport · 459 flights a year · 26 mi from your airports · yours: 76%
SJC → MDW 83% chance on time
Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport to Chicago Midway International Airport · 550 flights a year · 45 mi from your airports · yours: 76%
On time by month
All airlines, Jun 2023 to May 2026. Several years per month, so one stormy season doesn't define a month. Travel-month estimates use this seasonal pattern.
What delays this route
- Late-arriving aircraft41%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, boarding)31%
- Air traffic control and airport volume26%
- Severe weather1%
Share of delay minutes by the cause airlines report to the US DOT.
Historical odds, not a guarantee. Built from the US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics on-time reports (Jun 2025 to May 2026), FAA ground stop and delay program advisories, and 20 years of airport weather observations. Covers US airlines that report to the DOT; schedules are flights operated recently, so confirm times when you book. ATIS Alerts is not affiliated with any airline. Fares are what Aviasales travelers saw in recent searches (USD, one way, 1 adult), not live quotes; the partner site shows the current price. Fare links go to our travel partner and may earn us a commission at no cost to you. Affiliate disclosure
SFO to ORD questions
- What time of day is best to fly SFO to ORD?
- Before 9 AM: 90% of flights arrived on time, against 60% for departures noon to 3 PM. Later flights inherit delays from earlier ones, so the first departures of the day usually run best.
- Which airline is most on time from SFO to ORD?
- United, with a season-adjusted 78% chance of operating and arriving on time over 3,774 flights. The adjustment compares each airline with what the route did in the months it flew, so a carrier that skipped a stormy month gets no free credit.
- What is the worst month for delays on SFO to ORD?
- July (73% on time); the best was September (86%), averaged over Jun 2023 to May 2026.
- Is this a prediction for my flight?
- No. These are historical odds from the US DOT on-time reports, FAA advisories and airport weather records. Check your flight status and the FAA delay board on the day you fly.
More routes from SFO
- ORD to SFO (return)
- SFO to LAX 76%
- SFO to SEA 74%
- SFO to JFK 80%
- SFO to SAN 68%
- SFO to LAS 76%
- SFO to DEN 76%
- SFO to SNA 81%
- SFO to PHX 76%
- SFO to BOS 78%
- SFO to EWR 76%
- SFO to DFW 75%
- SFO to IAH 85%
Live status: FAA delays and ground stops