TUS to ORD flight delays
Tucson, AZ (TUS) Chicago, IL (ORD) · 1,437 miles
1,039 flights · January 2025 – August 2026 · US Bureau of Transportation Statistics
75.89%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
1.54%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
94 min
When late, late by
Average across delayed arrivals
24 min
Delay per flight
Averaged over every flight flown
What the record says about this route
The season swings this route hard. In February it ran 19.2 points more punctual than in September — 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. ORD to TUS arrives on time 7 points less 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.
This route does worse than its own airport. TUS as a whole runs 7.3 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.
The 2 airlines here are separated by under 5 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 TUS to ORD. American Airlines was late most often. Flights ran closest to schedule in February and worst in September.
Every airline on TUS 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 | 481 | 73.33% | 1.87% | 118 min | D |
| SkyWest Airlines | 462 | 77.61% | 1.52% | 65 min | C |
| United Airlines | 77 | 75.32% | 0% | 95 min | — |
| Envoy Air | 19 | 100% | 0% | — | — |
Month by month
Share of flights that arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, by month flown.
The return leg
ORD to TUS Chicago back to Tucson 68.89% on time DOther routes from Tucson
Common questions
Are flights from Tucson to Chicago usually delayed?
75.89% of flights on the TUS 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 Tucson to Chicago?
SkyWest Airlines, at 77.61% on time across 462 flights. The least punctual on the route was American Airlines at 73.33%.
How often are TUS to ORD flights cancelled?
1.54% of scheduled flights did not operate — about 15 in every thousand. That is in the normal range.
What is the best month to fly Tucson to Chicago?
February, when 87.5% of flights arrived on time. The worst was September at 68.3%.
When TUS to ORD flights are late, how late are they?
About 94 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 TUS 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 →