Newark to Chicago Flight Delays
Sample size: 17,175 EWR–ORD flights, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS). 26.83% of Newark to Chicago flights arrived at least 15 minutes late. That is 2.6 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: 06:00 departures run 13.6% late against 49.55% for 16:00. Tuesday is the calmest day at 21.41%, Friday the worst at 30.83%. Cancellations (2024 to 2025) peak in July at 5.79% of scheduled flights and bottom out in October at 0.37%. Last updated: 2026-10-01.
These figures are historical US domestic rates, not a forecast for one departure. Use the free delay prediction for your trip before you book.
EWR airport delay guide · ORD airport delay guide · Predict a EWR to ORD flight
Best time to fly EWR to ORD
The best time to fly EWR to ORD is the 6 AM departure and fly on a Tuesday, not a Friday (21.41% against 30.83%): 13.6% of 6 AM flights arrived 15+ minutes late, against 49.55% at 4 PM.
Lowest observed delay rates depart 06:00–08:00. The highest sit at 16:00–18:00. 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 | 16.27% | 332 |
| 06:00 | 13.6% | 1,706 |
| 07:00 | 15.6% | 1,526 |
| 08:00 | 14.27% | 771 |
| 09:00 | 16.58% | 814 |
| 10:00 | 19.53% | 1,403 |
| 11:00 | 21.05% | 1,159 |
| 12:00 | 22.31% | 641 |
| 13:00 | 21.38% | 1,520 |
| 14:00 | 28.65% | 527 |
| 15:00 | 32.05% | 1,039 |
| 16:00 | 49.55% | 444 |
| 17:00 | 48.29% | 1,491 |
| 18:00 | 45.76% | 1,084 |
| 19:00 | 41.15% | 819 |
| 20:00 | 29.08% | 698 |
| 21:00 | 32.11% | 1,115 |
EWR to ORD flight time and distance
Scheduled gate-to-gate time from EWR to ORD is a median 2 h 39 min. Flights actually took a median 2 h 32 min gate to gate, including 1 h 53 min in the air. 4.9% ran 30 or more minutes over schedule and 67.5% arrived sooner than scheduled (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
EWR to ORD is 719 miles (BTS data).
| Airline | Scheduled (median) | Actual (median) | In the air (median) | 30+ min over schedule | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 2 h 39 min | 2 h 31 min | 1 h 52 min | 4.7% | 12,019 |
| American Airlines | 2 h 38 min | 2 h 32 min | 1 h 51 min | 5.0% | 2,581 |
| Envoy Air | 2 h 41 min | 2 h 33 min | 1 h 56 min | 5.2% | 1,953 |
| Spirit Airlines (ceased operating May 2026) | 2 h 37 min | 2 h 27 min | 1 h 53 min | 6.3% | 381 |
How late, and why
When a EWR to ORD flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 78 minutes late (median 46). 10.8% of all completed flights arrived an hour or more late (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
Of the delay minutes on late EWR to ORD flights, 42.0% were caused by a late incoming aircraft, 27.1% by the airline (crew, maintenance, ground handling), 26.0% by the air-traffic system (volume, non-extreme weather, airport operations), 4.8% by extreme weather and 0.1% by security (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
| Cause | Share of delay minutes |
|---|---|
| late incoming aircraft | 42.0% |
| airline | 27.1% |
| air-traffic system | 26.0% |
| extreme weather | 4.8% |
| 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.
EWR to ORD delays by day of week
| Day | Delayed 15+ min | Flights observed |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 24.7% | 2,522 |
| Tue | 21.41% | 2,462 |
| Wed | 26.57% | 2,522 |
| Thu | 28.38% | 2,502 |
| Fri | 30.83% | 2,488 |
| Sat | 26.5% | 2,166 |
| Sun | 29.33% | 2,513 |
Month-by-month cancellation pattern
Share of scheduled EWR–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 | 4.83% | 931 |
| Feb | 0.79% | 886 |
| Mar | 0.4% | 991 |
| Apr | 1.64% | 975 |
| May | 3.99% | 1,027 |
| Jun | 2.48% | 968 |
| Jul | 5.79% | 1,036 |
| Aug | 3.46% | 1,039 |
| Sep | 0.78% | 1,021 |
| Oct | 0.37% | 1,090 |
| Nov | 2.89% | 1,074 |
| Dec | 0.95% | 1,056 |
Airlines on EWR to ORD: delays and cancellations
United Airlines, Envoy Air and American 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 70% | 26.09% | 1.58% | 8,425 |
| Envoy Air | 14% | 30.41% | 4.96% | 1,694 |
| American Airlines | 12% | 26.89% | 3.15% | 1,430 |
| Spirit Airlines (ceased operations 2 May 2026) | 3% | 27.82% | 4.03% | 397 |
Related pages
- EWR 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 EWR to ORD flight
Check your odds: Will my flight be delayed? · Will my flight be cancelled?
EWR vs ORD: airport conditions
Both ends of a route shape its delay profile. These are DelayGuard's operational scores for Newark and Chicago.
| Measure | EWR (Newark) | ORD (Chicago) |
|---|---|---|
| Congestion | high | high |
| Weather risk | high | high |
| NAS vulnerability | high | high |
| Average taxi-out | 25 min | 22 min |
| Runways | 3 | 8 |
EWR to ORD questions
- How long is the flight from Newark to Chicago?
- Scheduled gate-to-gate time from EWR to ORD is a median 2 h 39 min, and flights actually took a median 2 h 32 min including 1 h 53 min in the air. 4.9% ran 30+ minutes over schedule (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
- How often do EWR to ORD flights get delayed?
- Across 17,175 recorded EWR–ORD departures, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS), 26.83% arrived at least 15 minutes late. Departure time matters most: 6:00 departures run 13.6% late against 49.55% for 16:00. Actual delay frequency varies by airline, time of day, and season.
- What is the best time of year to fly EWR to ORD?
- Both Newark and Chicago share the same primary risk window: December–February (winter weather) and June–August (summer storms). Plan around those periods for the lowest delay probability on this route.
- Which airline is most reliable on EWR to ORD?
- On EWR→ORD, United Airlines has the lowest measured delay rate at 26.09% of 12,019 flights, and Envoy Air the highest at 30.41% (BTS, January 2023 to December 2025). United Airlines cancels the fewest at 1.58% (2024 to 2025). These are route-specific figures, not airline-wide averages.
- How late are EWR to ORD flights when they are delayed?
- When a EWR to ORD flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 78 minutes late (median 46). 10.8% 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.