Route reliability

Madison (MSN) to Chicago (ORD): which airline is most on time?

On-time arrivals, cancellations and long delays for every airline that reported nonstop flights from Madison, WI (MSN) to Chicago, IL (ORD), September 2025 to August 2026.

Historical performance Official DOT data through August 2026 · Not live flight status

Madison, WIChicago, IL

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Three-letter airport codes, nonstop U.S. domestic flights. One direction at a time.

Route at a glance · September 2025 to August 2026

MSN to ORD

Madison, WI to Chicago, IL

On time
70.0%vs 75.6% U.S. average Worse than average
Cancelled
3.9%vs 1.9% U.S. average Worse than average
60+ min late
11.0%vs 8.1% U.S. average Worse than average
Scheduled flights
4,070in 12 months5 airlines
Most reliable airline
Envoy Air78.7% on time · 1,111 flights

On time less often than the U.S. average, with more cancellations.

Compared with all U.S. flights, September 2025 to August 2026. “About average” means within 1.5 points for on time, 0.3 for cancelled and 1 for 60+ minutes late.

Airlines on this route

Ranked by on-time arrival

Airlines from MSN to ORD, September 2025 to August 2026. Rates are shares of all scheduled flights.
Airline On time Cancelled 60+ min late Avg delay when late Diverted Flights
1. Envoy Air Operating carrier; sold as American Eagle Most reliable 78.7% 3.3% 7.2% 86 min 0.1% 1,111
2. Republic Airways Operating carrier; sold as American Eagle, Delta Connection, United Express 72.6% 3.2% 11.0% 85 min 0.0% 566
3. United Airlines 71.1% 2.3% 8.2% 71 min 0.0% 996
4. SkyWest Airlines Operating carrier; sold as United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle, Alaska 63.8% 5.2% 14.4% 110 min 0.1% 1,289
5. PSA Airlines Operating carrier; sold as American Eagle Small sample (under 300 flights) 29.6% 12.0% 33.3% 165 min 0.0% 108

On time = arrived within 15 minutes of schedule. Avg delay when late = average arrival delay of flights 15+ minutes late. "Most reliable" needs at least 300 flights in 12 months. Tap a heading to sort.

What this means

Envoy Air has the strongest record on this route.

  • Envoy Air had the best on-time record from Madison (MSN) to Chicago (ORD): 78.7% of its 1,111 scheduled flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, compared with 63.8% for SkyWest Airlines.
  • 3.9% of flights on this route were cancelled (about 1 in 26), 2.0 points higher than the U.S. average of 1.9%.
  • 11.0% of flights, about 1 in 9, arrived an hour or more late. When a flight was late (15+ minutes), the average arrival delay was 96 min.
  • Overall, 70.0% of flights on this route arrived on time, 5.6 points lower than the U.S. average of 75.6%.
  • Over the last 3 years, February was the most reliable month on this route (79.3% on time) and January the least reliable (63.3%).
  • Cancellations peaked in March, when 5.0% of flights were cancelled.
  • Flights scheduled to depart before 6 am were the most punctual (84.9% on time); flights scheduled to depart 5 pm to 6 pm were the least (40.1%).
  • In the other direction, Chicago (ORD) to Madison (MSN), 68.3% of flights were on time and 3.8% were cancelled. Compare airlines ORD to MSN.

Best and worst months to fly MSN to ORD

Jan 63.3%
Feb 79.3%
Mar 71.8%
Apr 75.1%
May 75.6%
Jun 73.8%
Jul 72.8%
Aug 72.6%
Sep 79.1%
Oct 73.9%
Nov 73.7%
Dec 65.8%
Share of scheduled flights on time 12-month average 70.0%
All airlines combined, by calendar month, September 2023 to August 2026 (3 years pooled). Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
January 63.3% 713
February 79.3% 613
March 71.8% 787
April 75.1% 956
May 75.6% 854
June 73.8% 753
July 72.8% 742
August 72.6% 811
September 79.1% 660
October 73.9% 687
November 73.7% 700
December 65.8% 602
Best and worst calendar month by airline, September 2023 to August 2026.
AirlineBest monthWorst month
Envoy Air November (84.7%) June (65.9%)
Republic Airways October (84.7%) July (67.3%)
United Airlines February (86.2%) August (67.3%)
SkyWest Airlines September (78.5%) December (57.5%)

Month by month, last 12 months

Sep 81.1%
Oct 66.1%
Nov 65.1%
Dec 60.5%
Jan 60.3%
Feb 74.0%
Mar 61.3%
Apr 68.1%
May 75.2%
Jun 77.2%
Jul 79.0%
Aug 71.6%
Share of scheduled flights on time U.S. average 75.6%
All airlines combined, September 2025 to August 2026. Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
Sep 2025 81.1% 333
Oct 2025 66.1% 354
Nov 2025 65.1% 370
Dec 2025 60.5% 301
Jan 2026 60.3% 317
Feb 2026 74.0% 262
Mar 2026 61.3% 344
Apr 2026 68.1% 427
May 2026 75.2% 403
Jun 2026 77.2% 329
Jul 2026 79.0% 334
Aug 2026 71.6% 296

Best and worst departure times

<6a 84.9%
6a 77.1%
7a 79.9%
8a 75.7%
9a 80.3%
10a 84.2%
11a 54.7%
12p 69.0%
1p 72.0%
2p 70.5%
3p 57.5%
4p 43.0%
5p 40.1%
6p 64.0%
7p Insufficient sample
8p 58.9%
9p Insufficient sample
Share of scheduled flights on time
By scheduled local departure hour at MSN, September 2025 to August 2026. Hours with no scheduled flights are omitted. Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
Departing before 6 am 84.9% 384
Departing 6 am to 7 am 77.1% 536
Departing 7 am to 8 am 79.9% 139
Departing 8 am to 9 am 75.7% 456
Departing 9 am to 10 am 80.3% 223
Departing 10 am to 11 am 84.2% 265
Departing 11 am to noon 54.7% 75
Departing noon to 1 pm 69.0% 310
Departing 1 pm to 2 pm 72.0% 118
Departing 2 pm to 3 pm 70.5% 420
Departing 3 pm to 4 pm 57.5% 424
Departing 4 pm to 5 pm 43.0% 79
Departing 5 pm to 6 pm 40.1% 247
Departing 6 pm to 7 pm 64.0% 178
Departing 7 pm to 8 pm Insufficient sample 14
Departing 8 pm to 9 pm 58.9% 197
Departing 9 pm to 10 pm Insufficient sample 5
Woman at an airport window watching a plane take off
Photo: Depositphotos (licensed stock, illustrative only). Credits

Sources & data dates

Source
U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Reporting Carrier On-Time Performance (1987-present)
Period
September 2025 to August 2026 (12 months); month-of-year patterns September 2023 to August 2026
Data through
August 2026
Processed
2026-11-03
Scope
Nonstop scheduled flights from Madison, WI (MSN) to Chicago, IL (ORD), one direction. Airlines that report to the DOT only.
Method
Rates use all scheduled flights as the denominator; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Figures based on fewer than 50 scheduled flights are suppressed. Full methodology.

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