Chicago to Atlanta Flight Delays
Sample size: 17,749 ORD–ATL flights, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS). 24.45% of Chicago to Atlanta 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: 05:00 departures run 14.89% late against 48.41% for 21:00. Wednesday is the calmest day at 22.13%, Sunday the worst at 27.84%. Cancellations (2024 to 2025) peak in January at 3.86% of scheduled flights and bottom out in February at 0.13%. Last updated: 2026-10-01.
These figures are historical US domestic rates, not a forecast for one departure. Use the flight delay prediction before you book.
ORD airport delay guide · ATL airport delay guide · Predict a ORD to ATL flight
Best time to fly ORD to ATL
The best time to fly ORD to ATL is the 5 AM departure and fly on a Wednesday, not a Sunday (22.13% against 27.84%): 14.89% of 5 AM flights arrived 15+ minutes late, against 48.41% at 9 PM.
Lowest observed delay rates depart 05:00, 07:00, 10:00. The highest sit at 19:00–21:00. 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 | 14.89% | 1,014 |
| 06:00 | 20.68% | 672 |
| 07:00 | 15.31% | 2,221 |
| 08:00 | 20.66% | 876 |
| 09:00 | 17.64% | 1,485 |
| 10:00 | 17.03% | 1,157 |
| 11:00 | 24.46% | 654 |
| 12:00 | 22.8% | 794 |
| 13:00 | 21.6% | 1,185 |
| 14:00 | 22.3% | 1,574 |
| 15:00 | 28.78% | 841 |
| 16:00 | 32.35% | 371 |
| 17:00 | 32% | 1,025 |
| 18:00 | 35.62% | 2,198 |
| 19:00 | 37.52% | 669 |
| 20:00 | 38.09% | 596 |
| 21:00 | 48.41% | 252 |
| 22:00 | 29.87% | 154 |
ORD to ATL flight time and distance
Scheduled gate-to-gate time from ORD to ATL is a median 2 h 3 min. Flights actually took a median 1 h 54 min gate to gate, including 1 h 24 min in the air. 3.3% ran 30 or more minutes over schedule and 73.5% arrived sooner than scheduled (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
ORD to ATL is 606 miles (BTS data).
| Airline | Scheduled (median) | Actual (median) | In the air (median) | 30+ min over schedule | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 1 h 59 min | 1 h 50 min | 1 h 23 min | 2.1% | 7,305 |
| United Airlines | 2 h 5 min | 1 h 57 min | 1 h 25 min | 3.4% | 4,595 |
| American Airlines | 1 h 58 min | 1 h 51 min | 1 h 24 min | 3.2% | 1,813 |
| Frontier Airlines | 2 h 13 min | 2 h 4 min | 1 h 25 min | 6.7% | 1,408 |
| Spirit Airlines (ceased operating May 2026) | 2 h 5 min | 1 h 54 min | 1 h 25 min | 5.0% | 1,230 |
| Envoy Air | 2 h 2 min | 1 h 54 min | 1 h 26 min | 4.9% | 882 |
| Republic Airways | 2 h 9 min | 1 h 59 min | 1 h 27 min | 3.2% | 465 |
How late, and why
When a ORD to ATL flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 79 minutes late (median 43). 9.2% of all completed flights arrived an hour or more late (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
Of the delay minutes on late ORD to ATL flights, 42.6% were caused by a late incoming aircraft, 32.8% by the airline (crew, maintenance, ground handling), 19.7% by the air-traffic system (volume, non-extreme weather, airport operations), 4.9% by extreme weather and 0.1% by security (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
| Cause | Share of delay minutes |
|---|---|
| late incoming aircraft | 42.6% |
| airline | 32.8% |
| air-traffic system | 19.7% |
| extreme weather | 4.9% |
| 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.
ORD to ATL delays by day of week
| Day | Delayed 15+ min | Flights observed |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 24.27% | 2,678 |
| Tue | 22.53% | 2,459 |
| Wed | 22.13% | 2,522 |
| Thu | 24.71% | 2,643 |
| Fri | 26.2% | 2,653 |
| Sat | 23.17% | 2,240 |
| Sun | 27.84% | 2,554 |
Month-by-month cancellation pattern
Share of scheduled ORD–ATL 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 | 3.86% | 856 |
| Feb | 0.13% | 793 |
| Mar | 0.32% | 935 |
| Apr | 1.14% | 969 |
| May | 0.67% | 1,047 |
| Jun | 1.52% | 1,051 |
| Jul | 3.55% | 1,070 |
| Aug | 1.85% | 1,084 |
| Sep | 0.29% | 1,039 |
| Oct | 0.18% | 1,085 |
| Nov | 2.7% | 1,000 |
| Dec | 1.83% | 929 |
Airlines on ORD to ATL: delays and cancellations
Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Envoy Air and Republic Airways 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 43% | 20.78% | 1.09% | 5,038 |
| United Airlines | 26% | 21.35% | 1% | 3,085 |
| American Airlines | 10% | 31.16% | 2.45% | 1,184 |
| Frontier Airlines | 9% | 39.7% | 3.13% | 1,087 |
| Envoy Air | 6% | 20.86% | 1.92% | 676 |
| Republic Airways | 3% | 21.51% | 2.41% | 374 |
| Spirit Airlines (ceased operations 2 May 2026) | 3% | 33.66% | 1.65% | 364 |
Related pages
- ORD delays: rate, worst hours and live risk
- ATL delays: rate, worst hours and live risk
- US airline cancellation rates
- Thanksgiving and Christmas 2026 flight delay guide
- Predict a ORD to ATL flight
Check your odds: Will my flight be delayed? · Will my flight be cancelled?
ORD vs ATL: airport conditions
Both ends of a route shape its delay profile. These are DelayGuard's operational scores for Chicago and Atlanta.
| Measure | ORD (Chicago) | ATL (Atlanta) |
|---|---|---|
| Congestion | high | high |
| Weather risk | high | moderate |
| NAS vulnerability | high | high |
| Average taxi-out | 22 min | 18 min |
| Runways | 8 | 5 |
ORD to ATL questions
- How long is the flight from Chicago to Atlanta?
- Scheduled gate-to-gate time from ORD to ATL is a median 2 h 3 min, and flights actually took a median 1 h 54 min including 1 h 24 min in the air. 3.3% ran 30+ minutes over schedule (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
- How often do ORD to ATL flights get delayed?
- Across 17,749 recorded ORD–ATL departures, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS), 24.45% arrived at least 15 minutes late. Departure time matters most: 5:00 departures run 14.89% late against 48.41% for 21:00. Actual delay frequency varies by airline, time of day, and season.
- What is the best time of year to fly ORD to ATL?
- Chicago (IL) sees its highest delays during December–February (winter weather) and June–August (summer storms). Atlanta (GA) peaks during June–September (convective/thunderstorm season). The dominant seasonal risk on this route sits at the origin (Chicago) — use the DelayGuard predictor to check conditions for your specific travel date.
- Which airline is most reliable on ORD to ATL?
- On ORD→ATL, Delta Air Lines has the lowest measured delay rate at 20.78% of 7,305 flights, and Frontier Airlines the highest at 39.7% (BTS, January 2023 to December 2025). United Airlines cancels the fewest at 1% (2024 to 2025). These are route-specific figures, not airline-wide averages.
- How late are ORD to ATL flights when they are delayed?
- When a ORD to ATL flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 79 minutes late (median 43). 9.2% 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.