FlightRecord

Salt Lake City (SLC) to Chicago (ORD): On-Time Performance

Data through May 2026

The calendar drives reliability on SLC–ORD. September 2024 flights landed on schedule 90% of the time, but July 2025 dropped to 66% — a gap of 24 points. Across the full period the route averages 78% on-time against a national 78%. Morning departures also hold up better than evening ones (85% vs 71%), which matters most in the rough months.

On-time
78%
arrived <15 min late
Avg delay
21 min
completed flights
Cancelled
0.9%
Flights/day
8.7
last 12 months
Duration
3h 15m
scheduled
Distance
1,250 mi

Best airline from SLC to ORD

6 airlines flew this route regularly between 2024-06 and 2026-05.

AirlineOn-timeAvg delayCancelledFlights
SkyWest Airlinesmost reliable80%27 min0.6%717
United Airlines79%18 min0.8%2,063
Delta Air Lines78%18 min0.7%2,025
Envoy Air75%19 min0.0%87
American Airlines74%26 min1.3%1,267
Frontier Airlines60%27 min3.9%77

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly on-time percentage for SLC to ORD flights50%75%100%June 2024: 77% on-time (242 flights)77Jun 2024July 2024: 71% on-time (229 flights)71August 2024: 76% on-time (242 flights)76September 2024: 90% on-time (257 flights)90Sep 2024October 2024: 85% on-time (267 flights)85November 2024: 85% on-time (223 flights)85December 2024: 81% on-time (259 flights)81Dec 2024January 2025: 82% on-time (241 flights)82February 2025: 77% on-time (246 flights)77March 2025: 79% on-time (322 flights)79Mar 2025April 2025: 82% on-time (264 flights)82May 2025: 79% on-time (271 flights)79June 2025: 74% on-time (266 flights)74Jun 2025July 2025: 66% on-time (269 flights)66August 2025: 75% on-time (260 flights)75September 2025: 82% on-time (244 flights)82Sep 2025October 2025: 80% on-time (265 flights)80November 2025: 76% on-time (240 flights)76December 2025: 69% on-time (241 flights)69Dec 2025January 2026: 72% on-time (237 flights)72February 2026: 83% on-time (284 flights)83March 2026: 69% on-time (317 flights)69Mar 2026April 2026: 75% on-time (267 flights)75May 2026: 77% on-time (283 flights)77

Best time to fly from SLC to ORD

Aim for departures around 6 a.m. (89% on-time); avoid 2 p.m. departures (67%).

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour, SLC to ORD5 a.m.: 89% on-time (35 flights)56 a.m.: 89% on-time (382 flights)67 a.m.: 86% on-time (602 flights)78 a.m.: 85% on-time (1,102 flights)89 a.m.: 80% on-time (102 flights)910 a.m.: 80% on-time (82 flights)1011 a.m.: 83% on-time (192 flights)1112 p.m.: 80% on-time (744 flights)121 p.m.: 72% on-time (901 flights)132 p.m.: 67% on-time (405 flights)143 p.m.: 77% on-time (53 flights)154 p.m.: 68% on-time (648 flights)165 p.m.: 71% on-time (878 flights)178 p.m.: 81% on-time (49 flights)2011 p.m.: 33% on-time (26 flights)23scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday77%23 min
Tuesdaybest81%15 min
Wednesday78%17 min
Thursday76%24 min
Friday76%23 min
Saturday80%18 min
Sunday75%25 min

What causes delays on this route

Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT.

  • Late-arriving aircraft27%
  • Airline operations43%
  • National airspace system25%
  • Weather5%

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights from SLC to ORD delayed?
23% of SLC–ORD 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 21 minutes.
Which airline is most reliable from SLC to ORD?
SkyWest Airlines has the best on-time record on this route at 80%, based on 717 flights. 6 airlines flew SLC–ORD frequently enough to compare in this period.
What is the best time of day to fly from SLC to ORD?
Departures around 6 a.m. have the best record (89% on-time), while departures around 2 p.m. have the worst (67%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
How long is the flight from SLC to ORD?
The scheduled SLC–ORD flight time averages 3h 15m over 1,250 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 23% of the time.
How often are SLC to ORD flights cancelled?
0.9% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled between 2024-06 and 2026-05, at or below the national rate of 1.6%.
What is the worst month to fly from SLC to ORD?
July 2025 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 66% of arrivals on time. The best was September 2024 at 90%. If your dates are flexible, that 24-point gap is worth planning around.

Based on 6,236 flights, 2024-062026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.