ORD to TUS flight delays
Chicago, IL (ORD) Tucson, AZ (TUS) · 1,437 miles
1,041 flights · January 2025 – August 2026 · US Bureau of Transportation Statistics
68.89%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
1.73%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
79 min
When late, late by
Average across delayed arrivals
26 min
Delay per flight
Averaged over every flight flown
What the record says about this route
The season swings this route hard. In September it ran 33.2 points more punctual than in April — 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.
The two directions do not behave alike. TUS to ORD arrives on time 7 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.
Flights from Chicago to Tucson run late more often than the average route, though not severely.
The 2 airlines here are separated by under 6 points — close enough to call a tie. Choose on price and departure time.
Which airline should you fly on this route?
Over January 2025 – August 2026, SkyWest Airlines arrived on time most often on ORD to TUS. American Airlines was late most often. Flights ran closest to schedule in September and worst in April.
Every airline on ORD to TUS
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 482 | 66.17% | 1.87% | 84 min | F |
| SkyWest Airlines | 463 | 71.78% | 1.94% | 71 min | D |
| United Airlines | 77 | 71.43% | 0% | 88 min | — |
| Envoy Air | 19 | 57.89% | 0% | 61 min | — |
Month by month
Share of flights that arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, by month flown.
The return leg
TUS to ORD Tucson back to Chicago 75.89% on time DOther routes from Chicago
Common questions
Are flights from Chicago to Tucson usually delayed?
68.89% of flights on the ORD to TUS 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 Chicago to Tucson?
SkyWest Airlines, at 71.78% on time across 463 flights. The least punctual on the route was American Airlines at 66.17%.
How often are ORD to TUS flights cancelled?
1.73% of scheduled flights did not operate — about 17 in every thousand. That is in the normal range.
What is the best month to fly Chicago to Tucson?
September, when 85% of flights arrived on time. The worst was April at 51.8%.
When ORD to TUS flights are late, how late are they?
About 79 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 TUS during January 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 →