RDU to ORD flight delays

RDU ORD Raleigh-Durham to Chicago O'Hare · 646 miles

9,723 flights were scheduled from RDU to ORD over July 2023 through June 2026. Of the 9,531 that made the trip, 79.2% reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. These are arrival figures: “on time” means the flight reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Arrivals are what decide whether you make the connection, so route and airline pages are scored on them rather than on pushback.

Data through June 2026 · Bureau of Transportation Statistics

The route in brief

Flights in the window
9,723
Arrived on time
79.2%
Cancelled
1.6%
Scheduled distance
646 miles

Cancellations are counted against everything scheduled. Diverted flights are counted with them rather than as very late arrivals, which is why the on-time share and the cancellation rate do not add up to everything that happened.

Airline by airline

Airlines with at least 100 flights on RDU–ORD, busiest first. Same route, same weather, same air traffic — which makes this the fairest comparison on the site.

Airline Arrived on time Typical delay Cancelled Flights
United Airlines 80.8% 80 min 0.9% 3,664
Republic Airways 75.6% 73 min 2.6% 2,052
American Airlines 85.2% 120 min 1.5% 2,043
Envoy Air 75.4% 81 min 1.5% 1,487
Frontier Airlines 55.4% 134 min 6% 249
SkyWest Airlines 81.5% 124 min 0.9% 226

Month by month

July was the month to avoid on RDU–ORD: 68.4% of flights arrived on time, against 84.9% in November. Each bar pools three years of that calendar month.

Share of flights that arrived on time, by calendar month. Best month in green, worst in amber. The hairline sits at the overall rate, 79.2%.
Arrival on-time share, RDU to ORD, by calendar month
Month Share flights that arrived on time Flights
January 79.2% 692
February 82.1% 671
March 78.6% 817
April 78.4% 856
May 79.5% 946
June 75.2% 865
July 68.4% 784
August 74.6% 809
September 83.4% 799
October 83.6% 868
November 84.9% 823
December 82.2% 793

Both ends of the route

A route’s record is built out of two airports’ habits. The hour-by-hour grid for each is on its own page.

RDU to ORD in one number

RDU → ORD

When a flight on this route was late, it was late by about 88 min.

July 2023–June 2026 · 9,723 flights

79.2% of flights arrived on time

Questions about RDU to ORD

Which airline is most reliable from RDU to ORD?
American Airlines — its flights on this pairing arrived on time 85.2% of the time, with 2,043 scheduled. Frontier Airlines came in at 55.4% over 249 scheduled. Airlines with fewer than 100 flights on the route are not rated.
What is the worst month to fly RDU to ORD?
July, at 68.4% of arrivals on time, with 784 flights scheduled. November was the best of the year at 84.9%.
How late are RDU–ORD flights when they are late?
88 min on average, counting only the flights that arrived 15 minutes or more behind schedule. The on-time flights are left out of that average on purpose — mixing them in would flatter it.
How often is the RDU to ORD flight cancelled?
1.6% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled, July 2023 through June 2026. Diverted flights are counted with the cancellations rather than as late arrivals.
Are these departure or arrival numbers?
Arrival. A flight counts as on time here if it reached the gate at ORD less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Airport pages score departures instead, because that is the number you can act on when you pick a booking time.