Dallas to Chicago Flight Delays
Sample size: 18,707 DFW–ORD flights, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS). 25.8% of Dallas to Chicago flights arrived at least 15 minutes late. That is 1.6 points worse than the 24.2% median for those routes, so schedule padding matters here. Departure time moves the odds more than anything else on this route: 05:00 departures run 13.18% late against 44.96% for 22:00. Tuesday is the calmest day at 22.34%, Sunday the worst at 29.21%. Cancellations (2024 to 2025) peak in January at 4.12% of scheduled flights and bottom out in February at 0.11%. 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.
DFW airport delay guide · ORD airport delay guide · Predict a DFW to ORD flight
Best time to fly DFW to ORD
The best time to fly DFW to ORD is the 5 AM departure and fly on a Tuesday, not a Sunday (22.34% against 29.21%): 13.18% of 5 AM flights arrived 15+ minutes late, against 44.96% at 10 PM.
Lowest observed delay rates depart 05:00, 07:00–08:00. The highest sit at 16:00, 18:00, 22:00. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 05:00 | 13.18% | 789 |
| 06:00 | 17.7% | 1,452 |
| 07:00 | 15.68% | 2,034 |
| 08:00 | 17.44% | 1,072 |
| 09:00 | 19.52% | 420 |
| 10:00 | 17.88% | 1,997 |
| 11:00 | 26.49% | 638 |
| 12:00 | 26.37% | 982 |
| 13:00 | 32.23% | 692 |
| 14:00 | 27.18% | 1,810 |
| 15:00 | 34.06% | 549 |
| 16:00 | 34.74% | 1,560 |
| 17:00 | 33.81% | 1,272 |
| 18:00 | 41.88% | 1,077 |
| 19:00 | 29.56% | 521 |
| 20:00 | 33.26% | 875 |
| 21:00 | 29.22% | 705 |
| 22:00 | 44.96% | 258 |
DFW to ORD flight time and distance
Scheduled gate-to-gate time from DFW to ORD is a median 2 h 26 min. Flights actually took a median 2 h 19 min gate to gate, including 1 h 48 min in the air. 3.4% ran 30 or more minutes over schedule and 71.0% arrived sooner than scheduled (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
DFW to ORD is 802 miles (BTS data).
| Airline | Scheduled (median) | Actual (median) | In the air (median) | 30+ min over schedule | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 2 h 26 min | 2 h 17 min | 1 h 48 min | 3.4% | 11,376 |
| United Airlines | 2 h 28 min | 2 h 22 min | 1 h 49 min | 3.1% | 5,397 |
| Spirit Airlines (ceased operating May 2026) | 2 h 26 min | 2 h 19 min | 1 h 48 min | 4.9% | 1,090 |
| Frontier Airlines | 2 h 34 min | 2 h 25 min | 1 h 48 min | 3.6% | 686 |
How late, and why
When a DFW to ORD flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 76 minutes late (median 44). 9.9% of all completed flights arrived an hour or more late (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
Of the delay minutes on late DFW to ORD flights, 44.6% were caused by a late incoming aircraft, 29.2% by the airline (crew, maintenance, ground handling), 19.8% by the air-traffic system (volume, non-extreme weather, airport operations), 6.3% by extreme weather and 0.1% by security (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
| Cause | Share of delay minutes |
|---|---|
| late incoming aircraft | 44.6% |
| airline | 29.2% |
| air-traffic system | 19.8% |
| extreme weather | 6.3% |
| security | 0.1% |
BTS assigns causes to delay minutes on flights that arrived 15+ minutes late. "Air-traffic system" includes non-extreme weather that slows traffic.
DFW to ORD delays by day of week
| Day | Delayed 15+ min | Flights observed |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 25.86% | 2,780 |
| Tue | 22.34% | 2,627 |
| Wed | 26.14% | 2,624 |
| Thu | 26.68% | 2,702 |
| Fri | 27.16% | 2,750 |
| Sat | 22.87% | 2,506 |
| Sun | 29.21% | 2,718 |
Month-by-month cancellation pattern
Share of scheduled DFW–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 | 4.12% | 970 |
| Feb | 0.11% | 892 |
| Mar | 1.16% | 1,036 |
| Apr | 1.86% | 1,023 |
| May | 2.71% | 1,071 |
| Jun | 1.69% | 1,183 |
| Jul | 3.35% | 1,225 |
| Aug | 2.64% | 1,174 |
| Sep | 0.78% | 1,159 |
| Oct | 0.24% | 1,242 |
| Nov | 3.19% | 1,159 |
| Dec | 1.07% | 1,121 |
Airlines on DFW to ORD: delays and cancellations
American Airlines, United Airlines and Frontier Airlines fly this route today. Spirit Airlines also appear in the history below but has ceased operations. 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 | 61% | 27.13% | 2.06% | 8,004 |
| United Airlines | 29% | 21.12% | 1.39% | 3,808 |
| Frontier Airlines | 5% | 38.34% | 2.97% | 708 |
| Spirit Airlines (ceased operations 2 May 2026) | 4% | 25.41% | 1.75% | 572 |
Related pages
- DFW 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 DFW to ORD flight
Check your odds: Will my flight be delayed? · Will my flight be cancelled?
DFW vs ORD: airport conditions
Both ends of a route shape its delay profile. These are DelayGuard's operational scores for Dallas and Chicago.
| Measure | DFW (Dallas) | ORD (Chicago) |
|---|---|---|
| Congestion | high | high |
| Weather risk | moderate | high |
| NAS vulnerability | moderate | high |
| Average taxi-out | 19 min | 22 min |
| Runways | 7 | 8 |
DFW to ORD questions
- How long is the flight from Dallas to Chicago?
- Scheduled gate-to-gate time from DFW to ORD is a median 2 h 26 min, and flights actually took a median 2 h 19 min including 1 h 48 min in the air. 3.4% ran 30+ minutes over schedule (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
- How often do DFW to ORD flights get delayed?
- Across 18,707 recorded DFW–ORD departures, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS), 25.8% arrived at least 15 minutes late. Departure time matters most: 5:00 departures run 13.18% late against 44.96% for 22:00. Actual delay frequency varies by airline, time of day, and season.
- What is the best time of year to fly DFW to ORD?
- Dallas (TX) 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 DFW to ORD?
- On DFW→ORD, United Airlines has the lowest measured delay rate at 21.12% of 5,397 flights, and Frontier Airlines the highest at 38.34% (BTS, January 2023 to December 2025). United Airlines cancels the fewest at 1.39% (2024 to 2025). These are route-specific figures, not airline-wide averages.
- How late are DFW to ORD flights when they are delayed?
- When a DFW to ORD flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 76 minutes late (median 44). 9.9% 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.