Chicago (ORD) to Waterloo (ALO): On-Time Performance
Data through May 2026
When you fly ORD to ALO matters as much as anything else about the booking: the route swung from 85% on-time in October 2025 to just 59% in December 2025. Across the full period the route averages 72% on-time against a national 78%.
- On-time
- 72%
- arrived <15 min late
- Avg delay
- 22 min
- completed flights
- Cancelled
- 2.4%
- Flights/day
- 1.8
- last 12 months
- Duration
- 1h 18m
- scheduled
- Distance
- 234 mi
Monthly on-time trend
Best time to fly from ORD to ALO
Aim for departures around 12 p.m. (84% on-time); avoid 9 p.m. departures (61%).
By day of week
| Day | On-time | Avg delay |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 70% | 25 min |
| Tuesday | 72% | 20 min |
| Wednesday | 66% | 32 min |
| Thursday | 68% | 21 min |
| Friday | 72% | 24 min |
| Saturdaybest | 85% | 7 min |
| Sunday | 75% | 20 min |
What causes delays on this route
Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT.
- Late-arriving aircraft49%
- Airline operations12%
- National airspace system22%
- Weather18%
Frequently asked questions
- How often are flights from ORD to ALO delayed?
- 28% of ORD–ALO flights arrived 15 or more minutes late (the US DOT definition of a delay) between 2024-06 and 2026-05. The average arrival delay across completed flights was 22 minutes.
- What is the best time of day to fly from ORD to ALO?
- Departures around 12 p.m. have the best record (84% on-time), while departures around 9 p.m. have the worst (61%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
- How long is the flight from ORD to ALO?
- The scheduled ORD–ALO flight time averages 1h 18m over 234 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 28% of the time.
- How often are ORD to ALO flights cancelled?
- 2.4% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled between 2024-06 and 2026-05, slightly above the national rate of 1.6%.
- What is the worst month to fly from ORD to ALO?
- December 2025 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 59% of arrivals on time. The best was October 2025 at 85%. If your dates are flexible, that 26-point gap is worth planning around.
Explore related pages
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Based on 664 flights, 2024-06–2026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.