San Francisco to Chicago Flight Delays
Sample size: 14,908 SFO–ORD flights, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS). 20.35% of San Francisco to Chicago flights arrived at least 15 minutes late. That is 3.8 points better than the 24.2% median for those routes, making this one of the steadier pairings in the network. Departure time moves the odds more than anything else on this route: 05:00 departures run 5.93% late against 37.77% for 11:00. Tuesday is the calmest day at 17.81%, Friday the worst at 21.76%. Cancellations (2024 to 2025) peak in January at 3.78% of scheduled flights and bottom out in September at 0.11%. Last updated: 2026-10-01.
These figures are historical US domestic rates, not a forecast for one departure. Use the AI delay predictor before you book.
SFO airport delay guide · ORD airport delay guide · Predict a SFO to ORD flight
Best time to fly SFO to ORD
The best time to fly SFO to ORD is the 5 AM departure and fly on a Tuesday, not a Friday (17.81% against 21.76%): 5.93% of 5 AM flights arrived 15+ minutes late, against 37.77% at 11 AM.
Lowest observed delay rates depart 05:00–07:00. The highest sit at 10:00–11:00, 13:00. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 00:00 | 19.15% | 282 |
| 05:00 | 5.93% | 1,011 |
| 06:00 | 7.7% | 1,793 |
| 07:00 | 10.4% | 327 |
| 08:00 | 14.87% | 1,392 |
| 09:00 | 16.38% | 293 |
| 10:00 | 28.92% | 1,345 |
| 11:00 | 37.77% | 368 |
| 12:00 | 26.46% | 616 |
| 13:00 | 35.64% | 1,417 |
| 14:00 | 25.87% | 746 |
| 15:00 | 19.4% | 232 |
| 16:00 | 18.74% | 966 |
| 17:00 | 17.67% | 249 |
| 18:00 | 16.67% | 672 |
| 22:00 | 22.71% | 775 |
| 23:00 | 22.47% | 2,403 |
SFO to ORD flight time and distance
Scheduled gate-to-gate time from SFO to ORD is a median 4 h 19 min. Flights actually took a median 4 h 9 min gate to gate, including 3 h 35 min in the air. 2.2% ran 30 or more minutes over schedule and 74.6% arrived sooner than scheduled (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
SFO to ORD is 1,846 miles (BTS data).
| Airline | Scheduled (median) | Actual (median) | In the air (median) | 30+ min over schedule | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 4 h 20 min | 4 h 9 min | 3 h 34 min | 1.6% | 10,217 |
| American Airlines | 4 h 18 min | 4 h 9 min | 3 h 37 min | 2.8% | 3,452 |
| Alaska Airlines | 4 h 21 min | 4 h 16 min | 3 h 38 min | 5.3% | 1,239 |
How late, and why
When a SFO to ORD flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 70 minutes late (median 37). 6.6% of all completed flights arrived an hour or more late (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
Of the delay minutes on late SFO to ORD flights, 43.1% were caused by a late incoming aircraft, 36.8% by the airline (crew, maintenance, ground handling), 19.1% by the air-traffic system (volume, non-extreme weather, airport operations), 0.9% by extreme weather and 0.1% by security (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
| Cause | Share of delay minutes |
|---|---|
| late incoming aircraft | 43.1% |
| airline | 36.8% |
| air-traffic system | 19.1% |
| extreme weather | 0.9% |
| 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.
SFO to ORD delays by day of week
| Day | Delayed 15+ min | Flights observed |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 19.79% | 2,213 |
| Tue | 17.81% | 2,044 |
| Wed | 21.19% | 2,091 |
| Thu | 21.03% | 2,206 |
| Fri | 21.76% | 2,187 |
| Sat | 19.07% | 1,966 |
| Sun | 21.54% | 2,201 |
Month-by-month cancellation pattern
Share of scheduled SFO–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 | 3.78% | 635 |
| Feb | 0.52% | 575 |
| Mar | 0.67% | 748 |
| Apr | 0.46% | 868 |
| May | 1.78% | 956 |
| Jun | 1.33% | 976 |
| Jul | 2.79% | 1,039 |
| Aug | 1.46% | 1,024 |
| Sep | 0.11% | 938 |
| Oct | 0.31% | 973 |
| Nov | 1.5% | 799 |
| Dec | 0.63% | 790 |
Airlines on SFO to ORD: delays and cancellations
United Airlines, American Airlines and Alaska Airlines 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 68% | 19.16% | 1.23% | 6,997 |
| American Airlines | 25% | 21.06% | 1.15% | 2,616 |
| Alaska Airlines | 7% | 28.17% | 2.12% | 708 |
Related pages
- SFO 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 SFO to ORD flight
Check your odds: Will my flight be delayed? · Will my flight be cancelled?
SFO vs ORD: airport conditions
Both ends of a route shape its delay profile. These are DelayGuard's operational scores for San Francisco and Chicago.
| Measure | SFO (San Francisco) | ORD (Chicago) |
|---|---|---|
| Congestion | high | high |
| Weather risk | moderate | high |
| NAS vulnerability | high | high |
| Average taxi-out | 15 min | 22 min |
| Runways | 4 | 8 |
SFO to ORD questions
- How long is the flight from San Francisco to Chicago?
- Scheduled gate-to-gate time from SFO to ORD is a median 4 h 19 min, and flights actually took a median 4 h 9 min including 3 h 35 min in the air. 2.2% ran 30+ minutes over schedule (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
- How often do SFO to ORD flights get delayed?
- Across 14,908 recorded SFO–ORD departures, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS), 20.35% arrived at least 15 minutes late. Departure time matters most: 5:00 departures run 5.93% late against 37.77% for 11:00. Actual delay frequency varies by airline, time of day, and season.
- What is the best time of year to fly SFO to ORD?
- San Francisco (CA) sees its highest delays during November–February (coastal fog) with generally low risk year-round. 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 SFO to ORD?
- On SFO→ORD, United Airlines has the lowest measured delay rate at 19.16% of 10,217 flights, and Alaska Airlines the highest at 28.17% (BTS, January 2023 to December 2025). American Airlines cancels the fewest at 1.15% (2024 to 2025). These are route-specific figures, not airline-wide averages.
- How late are SFO to ORD flights when they are delayed?
- When a SFO to ORD flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 70 minutes late (median 37). 6.6% 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.