ORD to FAT flight delays
Chicago, IL (ORD) Fresno, CA (FAT) · 1,730 miles
359 flights · July 2024 – July 2026 · US Bureau of Transportation Statistics
52.71%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
2.23%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
70 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
Flights from Chicago to Fresno arrive late more often than they arrive on time. At this rate lateness is the normal outcome, not the exception, and the schedule is better read as an aspiration than a plan.
The two directions do not behave alike. FAT to ORD arrives on time 17.6 points more often than the outbound. Delay accumulates through the flying day, so whichever direction is scheduled later tends to carry the worse record — which is an argument for booking the morning departure if the choice exists.
The season swings this route hard. In October it ran 24 points more punctual than in July — a difference bigger than the one between the best and worst airlines on most routes. If the date is flexible, it is worth more than the carrier.
This route does worse than its own airport. ORD as a whole runs 22.8 points more punctual than these flights, which points at something specific to the route — the time of day it is scheduled, or the aircraft that feed it — rather than the airport.
Which airline should you fly on this route?
Over July 2024 – July 2026, United Airlines arrived on time most often on ORD to FAT. Flights ran closest to schedule in January and worst in July.
Every airline on ORD to FAT
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 | 321 | 51.76% | 2.49% | 73 min | F |
| SkyWest Airlines | 38 | 60.53% | 0% | 42 min | — |
Month by month
Share of flights that arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, by month flown.
The return leg
FAT to ORD Fresno back to Chicago 70.26% on time FOther routes from Chicago
Common questions
Are flights from Chicago to Fresno usually delayed?
52.71% of flights on the ORD to FAT route arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, so roughly 5 in every ten arrived late. That is worse than the average route in this record.
Which airlines fly from Chicago to Fresno?
Only United Airlines appears in the published record on this route, with 321 flights and 51.76% arriving on time.
How often are ORD to FAT flights cancelled?
2.23% of scheduled flights did not operate — about 22 in every thousand. That is in the normal range.
What is the best month to fly Chicago to Fresno?
October, when 64% of flights arrived on time. The worst was July at 40%.
When ORD to FAT flights are late, how late are they?
About 70 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 ORD to FAT during July 2024 – July 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 →