Chicago to Newark Flight Delays
Sample size: 17,180 ORD–EWR flights, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS). 28.71% of Chicago to Newark flights arrived at least 15 minutes late. That is 4.5 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 6.65% late against 44.71% for 20:00. Tuesday is the calmest day at 22.16%, Thursday the worst at 33.27%. Cancellations (2024 to 2025) peak in July at 5.32% of scheduled flights and bottom out in March at 0.4%. Last updated: 2026-10-01.
These figures are historical US domestic rates, not a forecast for one departure. Use the US domestic delay forecast before you book.
ORD airport delay guide · EWR airport delay guide · Predict a ORD to EWR flight
Best time to fly ORD to EWR
The best time to fly ORD to EWR is the 6 AM departure and fly on a Tuesday, not a Thursday (22.16% against 33.27%): 6.65% of 6 AM flights arrived 15+ minutes late, against 44.71% at 8 PM.
Lowest observed delay rates depart 06:00–08:00. The highest sit at 18:00–20:00. 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 | 6.65% | 1,083 |
| 07:00 | 11.89% | 1,430 |
| 08:00 | 16.67% | 1,128 |
| 09:00 | 19.54% | 1,080 |
| 10:00 | 24.61% | 1,357 |
| 11:00 | 25.93% | 864 |
| 12:00 | 26.81% | 675 |
| 13:00 | 37.03% | 1,315 |
| 14:00 | 32.45% | 1,245 |
| 15:00 | 35.89% | 822 |
| 16:00 | 38.2% | 1,021 |
| 17:00 | 34.55% | 906 |
| 18:00 | 41.46% | 1,317 |
| 19:00 | 41.45% | 1,211 |
| 20:00 | 44.71% | 586 |
| 21:00 | 31.87% | 1,073 |
ORD to EWR flight time and distance
Scheduled gate-to-gate time from ORD to EWR is a median 2 h 16 min. Flights actually took a median 2 h 7 min gate to gate, including 1 h 34 min in the air. 3.9% ran 30 or more minutes over schedule and 71.8% arrived sooner than scheduled (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
ORD to EWR is 719 miles (BTS data).
| Airline | Scheduled (median) | Actual (median) | In the air (median) | 30+ min over schedule | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 2 h 17 min | 2 h 7 min | 1 h 34 min | 3.1% | 12,021 |
| American Airlines | 2 h 8 min | 2 h 6 min | 1 h 34 min | 5.8% | 2,578 |
| Envoy Air | 2 h 12 min | 2 h 8 min | 1 h 36 min | 5.6% | 1,961 |
| Spirit Airlines (ceased operating May 2026) | 2 h 18 min | 2 h 3 min | 1 h 34 min | 3.2% | 380 |
How late, and why
When a ORD to EWR flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 82 minutes late (median 53). 13.1% of all completed flights arrived an hour or more late (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
Of the delay minutes on late ORD to EWR flights, 41.6% were caused by the air-traffic system (volume, non-extreme weather, airport operations), 31.8% by a late incoming aircraft, 19.5% by the airline (crew, maintenance, ground handling), 7.0% by extreme weather and 0.0% by security (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
| Cause | Share of delay minutes |
|---|---|
| air-traffic system | 41.6% |
| late incoming aircraft | 31.8% |
| airline | 19.5% |
| extreme weather | 7.0% |
| security | 0.0% |
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 EWR delays by day of week
| Day | Delayed 15+ min | Flights observed |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 27.43% | 2,512 |
| Tue | 22.16% | 2,473 |
| Wed | 28.15% | 2,515 |
| Thu | 33.27% | 2,489 |
| Fri | 31.02% | 2,521 |
| Sat | 27.53% | 2,172 |
| Sun | 31.18% | 2,498 |
Month-by-month cancellation pattern
Share of scheduled ORD–EWR 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 | 5.16% | 930 |
| Feb | 0.56% | 885 |
| Mar | 0.4% | 992 |
| Apr | 1.54% | 976 |
| May | 3.81% | 1,024 |
| Jun | 2.26% | 972 |
| Jul | 5.32% | 1,033 |
| Aug | 3.65% | 1,040 |
| Sep | 0.78% | 1,021 |
| Oct | 0.55% | 1,093 |
| Nov | 2.8% | 1,073 |
| Dec | 0.94% | 1,059 |
Airlines on ORD to EWR: 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% | 26.27% | 1.63% | 8,430 |
| Envoy Air | 14% | 26.31% | 4.6% | 1,694 |
| American Airlines | 12% | 40.15% | 3.01% | 1,429 |
| Spirit Airlines (ceased operations 2 May 2026) | 3% | 40.26% | 4.03% | 397 |
Related pages
- ORD delays: rate, worst hours and live risk
- EWR delays: rate, worst hours and live risk
- US airline cancellation rates
- Thanksgiving and Christmas 2026 flight delay guide
- Predict a ORD to EWR flight
Check your odds: Will my flight be delayed? · Will my flight be cancelled?
ORD vs EWR: airport conditions
Both ends of a route shape its delay profile. These are DelayGuard's operational scores for Chicago and Newark.
| Measure | ORD (Chicago) | EWR (Newark) |
|---|---|---|
| Congestion | high | high |
| Weather risk | high | high |
| NAS vulnerability | high | high |
| Average taxi-out | 22 min | 25 min |
| Runways | 8 | 3 |
ORD to EWR questions
- How long is the flight from Chicago to Newark?
- Scheduled gate-to-gate time from ORD to EWR is a median 2 h 16 min, and flights actually took a median 2 h 7 min including 1 h 34 min in the air. 3.9% ran 30+ minutes over schedule (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
- How often do ORD to EWR flights get delayed?
- Across 17,180 recorded ORD–EWR departures, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS), 28.71% arrived at least 15 minutes late. Departure time matters most: 6:00 departures run 6.65% late against 44.71% for 20:00. Actual delay frequency varies by airline, time of day, and season.
- What is the best time of year to fly ORD to EWR?
- Both Chicago and Newark 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 ORD to EWR?
- On ORD→EWR, United Airlines has the lowest measured delay rate at 26.27% of 12,021 flights, and American Airlines the highest at 40.15% (BTS, January 2023 to December 2025). United Airlines cancels the fewest at 1.63% (2024 to 2025). These are route-specific figures, not airline-wide averages.
- How late are ORD to EWR flights when they are delayed?
- When a ORD to EWR flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 82 minutes late (median 53). 13.1% 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.