Charlotte to Chicago Flight Delays
Sample size: 12,904 CLT–ORD flights, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS). 25% of Charlotte to Chicago flights arrived at least 15 minutes late. That tracks the 24.2% median for the major US domestic routes DelayGuard covers almost exactly. Departure time moves the odds more than anything else on this route: 06:00 departures run 10.21% late against 51.79% for 19:00. Tuesday is the calmest day at 19.73%, Sunday the worst at 28.96%. Cancellations (2024 to 2025) peak in August at 2.89% of scheduled flights and bottom out in October at 0.13%. Last updated: 2026-10-01.
These figures are historical US domestic rates, not a forecast for one departure. Use the delay risk check for your flight before you book.
CLT airport delay guide · ORD airport delay guide · Predict a CLT to ORD flight
Best time to fly CLT to ORD
The best time to fly CLT to ORD is the 6 AM departure and fly on a Tuesday, not a Sunday (19.73% against 28.96%): 10.21% of 6 AM flights arrived 15+ minutes late, against 51.79% at 7 PM.
Lowest observed delay rates depart 06:00, 09:00, 11:00. The highest sit at 15:00, 18:00–19:00. Only departure hours with at least 100 recorded flights are listed, so sparse hours are blank rather than estimated.
| Departure hour | Delayed 15+ min | Flights observed |
|---|---|---|
| 06:00 | 10.21% | 1,185 |
| 07:00 | 18.6% | 855 |
| 08:00 | 17.36% | 144 |
| 09:00 | 13.71% | 1,182 |
| 10:00 | 15.23% | 965 |
| 11:00 | 14.4% | 1,090 |
| 13:00 | 21.44% | 1,194 |
| 14:00 | 24.54% | 754 |
| 15:00 | 41.42% | 169 |
| 16:00 | 36.47% | 1,072 |
| 17:00 | 41.39% | 1,162 |
| 18:00 | 42.71% | 1,056 |
| 19:00 | 51.79% | 112 |
| 20:00 | 29.63% | 945 |
| 22:00 | 28.85% | 915 |
CLT to ORD flight time and distance
Scheduled gate-to-gate time from CLT to ORD is a median 2 h 11 min. Flights actually took a median 2 h 4 min gate to gate, including 1 h 32 min in the air. 4.0% ran 30 or more minutes over schedule and 70.0% arrived sooner than scheduled (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
CLT to ORD is 599 miles (BTS data).
| Airline | Scheduled (median) | Actual (median) | In the air (median) | 30+ min over schedule | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 2 h 10 min | 2 h 2 min | 1 h 31 min | 4.0% | 9,011 |
| United Airlines | 2 h 13 min | 2 h 7 min | 1 h 33 min | 3.7% | 3,012 |
| Republic Airways | 2 h 22 min | 2 h 14 min | 1 h 38 min | 3.6% | 334 |
How late, and why
When a CLT to ORD flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 74 minutes late (median 43). 9.4% of all completed flights arrived an hour or more late (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
Of the delay minutes on late CLT to ORD flights, 43.7% were caused by a late incoming aircraft, 26.1% by the airline (crew, maintenance, ground handling), 24.2% by the air-traffic system (volume, non-extreme weather, airport operations), 5.6% by extreme weather and 0.3% by security (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
| Cause | Share of delay minutes |
|---|---|
| late incoming aircraft | 43.7% |
| airline | 26.1% |
| air-traffic system | 24.2% |
| extreme weather | 5.6% |
| security | 0.3% |
BTS assigns causes to delay minutes on flights that arrived 15+ minutes late. "Air-traffic system" includes non-extreme weather that slows traffic.
CLT to ORD delays by day of week
| Day | Delayed 15+ min | Flights observed |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 25.37% | 1,900 |
| Tue | 19.73% | 1,784 |
| Wed | 24.04% | 1,818 |
| Thu | 27.43% | 1,885 |
| Fri | 26.52% | 1,878 |
| Sat | 22.44% | 1,747 |
| Sun | 28.96% | 1,892 |
Month-by-month cancellation pattern
Share of scheduled CLT–ORD flights cancelled in each month, from BTS 2024–2025 on-time reporting. These are cancellations, not delays. Delay figures on this page cover January 2023 to December 2025.
| Month | Cancelled | Flights scheduled |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2.23% | 719 |
| Feb | 0.3% | 673 |
| Mar | 0.4% | 751 |
| Apr | 0.69% | 729 |
| May | 0.66% | 760 |
| Jun | 1.35% | 742 |
| Jul | 2.27% | 748 |
| Aug | 2.89% | 727 |
| Sep | 1.12% | 716 |
| Oct | 0.13% | 751 |
| Nov | 2.27% | 704 |
| Dec | 0.41% | 732 |
Airlines on CLT to ORD: delays and cancellations
American Airlines, United Airlines, Frontier Airlines and Republic Airways fly this route today. Only carriers with at least 200 scheduled flights on the pairing are listed. Delay rates cover January 2023 to December 2025; cancellation rates cover 2024 to 2025.
| Airline | Share of flights | Delayed 15+ min | Cancelled | Flights scheduled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 70% | 25.47% | 1.21% | 6,130 |
| United Airlines | 22% | 22.61% | 1.04% | 1,927 |
| Frontier Airlines | 3% | 46.48% | 1.92% | 261 |
| Republic Airways | 3% | 16.17% | 2.31% | 260 |
Related pages
- CLT delays: rate, worst hours and live risk
- ORD delays: rate, worst hours and live risk
- US airline cancellation rates
- Thanksgiving and Christmas 2026 flight delay guide
- Predict a CLT to ORD flight
Check your odds: Will my flight be delayed? · Will my flight be cancelled?
CLT vs ORD: airport conditions
Both ends of a route shape its delay profile. These are DelayGuard's operational scores for Charlotte and Chicago.
| Measure | CLT (Charlotte) | ORD (Chicago) |
|---|---|---|
| Congestion | high | high |
| Weather risk | moderate | high |
| NAS vulnerability | moderate | high |
| Average taxi-out | 15 min | 22 min |
| Runways | 4 | 8 |
CLT to ORD questions
- How long is the flight from Charlotte to Chicago?
- Scheduled gate-to-gate time from CLT to ORD is a median 2 h 11 min, and flights actually took a median 2 h 4 min including 1 h 32 min in the air. 4.0% ran 30+ minutes over schedule (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
- How often do CLT to ORD flights get delayed?
- Across 12,904 recorded CLT–ORD departures, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS), 25% arrived at least 15 minutes late. Departure time matters most: 6:00 departures run 10.21% late against 51.79% for 19:00. Actual delay frequency varies by airline, time of day, and season.
- What is the best time of year to fly CLT to ORD?
- Charlotte (NC) sees its highest delays during June–September (convective/thunderstorm season). Chicago (IL) peaks during December–February (winter weather) and June–August (summer storms). The dominant seasonal risk on this route sits at the destination (Chicago) — use the DelayGuard predictor to check conditions for your specific travel date.
- Which airline is most reliable on CLT to ORD?
- On CLT→ORD, Republic Airways has the lowest measured delay rate at 16.17% of 334 flights, and Frontier Airlines the highest at 46.48% (BTS, January 2023 to December 2025). United Airlines cancels the fewest at 1.04% (2024 to 2025). These are route-specific figures, not airline-wide averages.
- How late are CLT to ORD flights when they are delayed?
- When a CLT to ORD flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 74 minutes late (median 43). 9.4% of all completed flights arrived an hour or more late (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
- How accurate is DelayGuard's delay prediction for this route?
- DelayGuard's delay risk score comes from an ML model trained on BTS data (3.95 million US domestic flights, 2023 to mid-2025), with live weather data (within 5 days of departure) and FAA NAS advisories (within 6 hours) — a likelihood of delay, not a guarantee.
Delay figures reflect arrivals 15 or more minutes late in BTS on-time reporting. Cancellation figures are separate and count flights that never operated. Hours, days and months with fewer than 100 recorded flights are omitted rather than estimated.