DEN to ORD flight delays
Denver, CO (DEN) Chicago, IL (ORD) · 888 miles
537 flights · March 2025 – August 2026 · US Bureau of Transportation Statistics
66.48%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
1.12%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
97 min
When late, late by
Average across delayed arrivals
34 min
Delay per flight
Averaged over every flight flown
What the record says about this route
This is a late route. Flights from Denver to Chicago miss their scheduled arrival often enough that a tight connection at the far end is a connection at risk.
This is a thin route — 537 flights across the whole period. On a route this infrequent a cancellation is far more costly than the rate suggests, because the next departure may not be the same day.
The 2 airlines here are separated by under 1 point — close enough to call a tie. Choose on price and departure time.
Which airline should you fly on this route?
Over March 2025 – August 2026, United Airlines arrived on time most often on DEN to ORD. American Airlines was late most often.
Every airline on DEN to ORD
Ranked by how many flights each one operated. A carrier with fewer than 100 flights in the period is listed but not graded.
| Airline | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 356 | 67.61% | 0.28% | 87 min | D |
| American Airlines | 147 | 67.13% | 2.72% | 115 min | D |
| Frontier Airlines | 30 | 55.17% | 3.33% | 131 min | — |
| Southwest Airlines | 3 | 33.33% | 0% | 24 min | — |
| Envoy Air | 1 | 0% | 0% | 93 min | — |
The return leg
ORD to DEN Chicago back to Denver 71.35% on time DOther routes from Denver
Common questions
Are flights from Denver to Chicago usually delayed?
66.48% of flights on the DEN to ORD route arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, so roughly 3 in every ten arrived late. That is worse than the average route in this record.
Which airline is most on time from Denver to Chicago?
United Airlines, at 67.61% on time across 356 flights. The least punctual on the route was American Airlines at 67.13%.
How often are DEN to ORD flights cancelled?
1.12% of scheduled flights did not operate — about 11 in every thousand. That is in the normal range.
When DEN to ORD flights are late, how late are they?
About 97 minutes on average across the flights that arrived more than 15 minutes behind schedule.
What these figures do and do not tell you
Everything on this page is counted from the flights that actually operated on DEN to ORD during March 2025 – August 2026, as reported by the airlines to the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics. "On time" is the federal definition: arriving at the gate within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.
A route's record is a description of the past, not a forecast. Weather, air traffic control and the aircraft's earlier flights that day drive most delays, and none of them are predictable from a historical rate. What the record does tell you is whether this route runs late more often than others, and which carrier on it has the better history — which is the part you can actually act on when you book.
Cancellations are counted separately from delays because they are a different problem for a traveller: a late flight still gets you there. How the grade is calculated →