FlightRecord

Chicago (ORD) to Dallas (DAL): On-Time Performance

Data through July 2026

The calendar drives reliability on ORD–DAL. October 2024 flights landed on schedule 95% of the time, but March 2026 dropped to 47% — a gap of 49 points. Across the full period the route averages 77% on-time against a national 78%. Morning departures also hold up better than evening ones (90% vs 69%), which matters most in the rough months.

On-time
77%
arrived <15 min late
Avg delay
16 min
completed flights
Cancelled
0.8%
Flights/day
1.2
last 12 months
Duration
2h 29m
scheduled
Distance
798 mi

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly on-time percentage for ORD to DAL flights50%75%100%July 2024: 70% on-time (89 flights)70Jul 2024August 2024: 77% on-time (85 flights)77September 2024: 86% on-time (81 flights)86October 2024: 95% on-time (85 flights)95Oct 2024November 2024: 85% on-time (84 flights)85December 2024: 81% on-time (88 flights)81January 2025: 87% on-time (72 flights)87Jan 2025February 2025: 87% on-time (71 flights)87March 2025: 87% on-time (86 flights)87April 2025: 73% on-time (86 flights)73Apr 2025May 2025: 74% on-time (88 flights)74June 2025: 70% on-time (86 flights)70July 2025: 60% on-time (89 flights)60Jul 2025August 2025: 82% on-time (75 flights)82September 2025: 81% on-time (73 flights)81October 2025: 86% on-time (87 flights)86Oct 2025November 2025: 63% on-time (30 flights)63December 2025: 65% on-time (31 flights)65January 2026: 80% on-time (31 flights)80Jan 2026February 2026: 75% on-time (28 flights)75March 2026: 47% on-time (31 flights)47April 2026: 59% on-time (30 flights)59Apr 2026May 2026: 50% on-time (31 flights)50June 2026: 33% on-time (3 flights)33

Best time to fly from ORD to DAL

Aim for departures around 6 p.m. (94% on-time); avoid 7 p.m. departures (47%).

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour, ORD to DAL5 a.m.: 87% on-time (39 flights)57 a.m.: 92% on-time (432 flights)711 a.m.: 74% on-time (20 flights)111 p.m.: 77% on-time (347 flights)132 p.m.: 71% on-time (176 flights)143 p.m.: 77% on-time (52 flights)154 p.m.: 55% on-time (108 flights)165 p.m.: 68% on-time (286 flights)176 p.m.: 94% on-time (32 flights)187 p.m.: 47% on-time (30 flights)19scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday78%16 min
Tuesdaybest79%15 min
Wednesday78%14 min
Thursday77%15 min
Friday77%16 min
Saturday77%16 min
Sunday74%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 aircraft52%
  • Airline operations24%
  • National airspace system23%
  • Weather1%

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights from ORD to DAL delayed?
23% of ORD–DAL flights arrived 15 or more minutes late (the US DOT definition of a delay) between 2024-07 and 2026-07. The average arrival delay across completed flights was 16 minutes.
What is the best time of day to fly from ORD to DAL?
Departures around 6 p.m. have the best record (94% on-time), while departures around 7 p.m. have the worst (47%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
How long is the flight from ORD to DAL?
The scheduled ORD–DAL flight time averages 2h 29m over 798 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 23% of the time.
How often are ORD to DAL flights cancelled?
0.8% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled between 2024-07 and 2026-07, at or below the national rate of 1.6%.
What is the worst month to fly from ORD to DAL?
March 2026 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 47% of arrivals on time. The best was October 2024 at 95%. If your dates are flexible, that 49-point gap is worth planning around.

Based on 1,540 flights, 2024-07–2026-07. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-09-28.