SNA to ORD flight delays
Santa Ana, CA (SNA) Chicago, IL (ORD) · 1,726 miles
2,212 flights · January 2025 – August 2026 · US Bureau of Transportation Statistics
76.72%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
1.22%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
75 min
When late, late by
Average across delayed arrivals
19 min
Delay per flight
Averaged over every flight flown
What the record says about this route
The 2 airlines here are separated by under 5 points — close enough to call a tie. Choose on price and departure time.
The Santa Ana to Chicago route sits close to the middle of the record — neither notably punctual nor notably late.
Which airline should you fly on this route?
Over January 2025 – August 2026, United Airlines arrived on time most often on SNA to ORD. American Airlines was late most often. Flights ran closest to schedule in December and worst in March.
Every airline on SNA 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 1,172 | 74.65% | 1.79% | 85 min | D |
| United Airlines | 1,040 | 79.02% | 0.58% | 62 min | C |
Month by month
Share of flights that arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, by month flown.
The return leg
ORD to SNA Chicago back to Santa Ana 75.31% on time COther routes from Santa Ana
Common questions
Are flights from Santa Ana to Chicago usually delayed?
76.72% of flights on the SNA to ORD route arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, so roughly 2 in every ten arrived late. That is about the same as the average route in this record.
Which airline is most on time from Santa Ana to Chicago?
United Airlines, at 79.02% on time across 1,040 flights. The least punctual on the route was American Airlines at 74.65%.
How often are SNA to ORD flights cancelled?
1.22% of scheduled flights did not operate — about 12 in every thousand. That is in the normal range.
What is the best month to fly Santa Ana to Chicago?
December, when 82.2% of flights arrived on time. The worst was March at 70.8%.
When SNA to ORD flights are late, how late are they?
About 75 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 SNA to ORD 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 →