FlightRecord

Knoxville (TYS) to Chicago (ORD): On-Time Performance

Data through May 2026

The calendar drives reliability on TYS–ORD. October 2024 flights landed on schedule 92% of the time, but December 2025 dropped to 45% — a gap of 47 points. Across the full period the route averages 74% on-time against a national 78%. Morning departures also hold up better than evening ones (82% vs 58%), which matters most in the rough months.

On-time
74%
arrived <15 min late
Avg delay
25 min
completed flights
Cancelled
2.5%
Flights/day
6.1
last 12 months
Duration
2h 1m
scheduled
Distance
475 mi

Best airline from TYS to ORD

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

AirlineOn-timeAvg delayCancelledFlights
United Airlinesmost reliable90%8 min1.8%548
Republic Airways86%11 min0.7%442
SkyWest Airlines74%26 min1.7%1,601
Envoy Air72%17 min0.6%506
PSA Airlines60%46 min6.3%912

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly on-time percentage for TYS to ORD flights50%75%100%June 2024: 77% on-time (171 flights)77Jun 2024July 2024: 82% on-time (176 flights)82August 2024: 74% on-time (171 flights)74September 2024: 86% on-time (206 flights)86Sep 2024October 2024: 92% on-time (237 flights)92November 2024: 91% on-time (134 flights)91December 2024: 79% on-time (151 flights)79Dec 2024January 2025: 80% on-time (121 flights)80February 2025: 83% on-time (93 flights)83March 2025: 76% on-time (126 flights)76Mar 2025April 2025: 80% on-time (91 flights)80May 2025: 80% on-time (101 flights)80June 2025: 68% on-time (222 flights)68Jun 2025July 2025: 61% on-time (245 flights)61August 2025: 73% on-time (227 flights)73September 2025: 74% on-time (192 flights)74Sep 2025October 2025: 66% on-time (234 flights)66November 2025: 62% on-time (176 flights)62December 2025: 45% on-time (130 flights)45Dec 2025January 2026: 65% on-time (118 flights)65February 2026: 70% on-time (125 flights)70March 2026: 58% on-time (149 flights)58Mar 2026April 2026: 79% on-time (198 flights)79May 2026: 78% on-time (215 flights)78

Best time to fly from TYS to ORD

Aim for departures around 6 a.m. (88% on-time); avoid 6 p.m. departures (48%).

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour, TYS to ORD6 a.m.: 88% on-time (93 flights)67 a.m.: 86% on-time (845 flights)78 a.m.: 75% on-time (303 flights)810 a.m.: 84% on-time (533 flights)1011 a.m.: 75% on-time (289 flights)1112 p.m.: 73% on-time (52 flights)121 p.m.: 70% on-time (398 flights)132 p.m.: 76% on-time (77 flights)143 p.m.: 83% on-time (238 flights)154 p.m.: 63% on-time (209 flights)165 p.m.: 60% on-time (745 flights)176 p.m.: 48% on-time (179 flights)188 p.m.: 69% on-time (44 flights)20scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday75%28 min
Tuesday74%26 min
Wednesday75%20 min
Thursday72%28 min
Friday72%26 min
Saturdaybest78%18 min
Sunday74%27 min

What causes delays on this route

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

  • Late-arriving aircraft38%
  • Airline operations33%
  • National airspace system20%
  • Weather9%

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights from TYS to ORD delayed?
26% of TYS–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 25 minutes.
Which airline is most reliable from TYS to ORD?
United Airlines has the best on-time record on this route at 90%, based on 548 flights. 5 airlines flew TYS–ORD frequently enough to compare in this period.
What is the best time of day to fly from TYS to ORD?
Departures around 6 a.m. have the best record (88% on-time), while departures around 6 p.m. have the worst (48%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
How long is the flight from TYS to ORD?
The scheduled TYS–ORD flight time averages 2h 1m over 475 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 26% of the time.
How often are TYS to ORD flights cancelled?
2.5% 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 TYS to ORD?
December 2025 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 45% of arrivals on time. The best was October 2024 at 92%. If your dates are flexible, that 47-point gap is worth planning around.

Based on 4,009 flights, 2024-062026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.