Route reliability

Chicago (ORD) to Austin (AUS): which airline is most on time?

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

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

Chicago, ILAustin, TX

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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

ORD to AUS

Chicago, IL to Austin, TX

On time
70.5%vs 75.6% U.S. average Worse than average
Cancelled
1.9%vs 1.9% U.S. average About average
60+ min late
11.1%vs 8.1% U.S. average Worse than average
Scheduled flights
3,185in 12 months6 airlines
Most reliable airline
United Airlines76.8% on time · 1,550 flights

On time less often than the U.S. average, with a typical cancellation rate.

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 ORD to AUS, 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. United Airlines Most reliable 76.8% 1.1% 7.5% 66 min 0.2% 1,550
2. Envoy Air Operating carrier; sold as American Eagle Small sample (under 300 flights) 71.6% 2.3% 11.4% 68 min 0.0% 88
3. Southwest Airlines Small sample (under 300 flights) 66.2% 0.7% 13.1% 64 min 0.7% 145
4. Republic Airways Operating carrier; sold as American Eagle, Delta Connection, United Express Small sample (under 300 flights) 65.3% 5.3% 10.5% 54 min 0.0% 95
5. American Airlines 63.9% 2.5% 14.8% 81 min 0.0% 1,206
6. Frontier Airlines Small sample (under 300 flights) 62.4% 5.0% 17.8% 128 min 0.0% 101

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

United Airlines has the strongest record on this route.

  • United Airlines had the best on-time record from Chicago (ORD) to Austin (AUS): 76.8% of its 1,550 scheduled flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, compared with 63.9% for American Airlines.
  • 1.9% of flights on this route were cancelled (about 1 in 53), about the same as the U.S. average of 1.9%.
  • 11.1% of flights, about 1 in 9, arrived an hour or more late. When a flight was late (15+ minutes), the average arrival delay was 75 min.
  • Overall, 70.5% of flights on this route arrived on time, 5.1 points lower than the U.S. average of 75.6%.
  • Over the last 3 years, February was the most reliable month on this route (83.2% on time) and July the least reliable (62.4%).
  • Cancellations peaked in January, when 3.5% of flights were cancelled.
  • Flights scheduled to depart 7 am to 8 am were the most punctual (87.7% on time); flights scheduled to depart 9 pm to 10 pm were the least (35.1%).
  • In the other direction, Austin (AUS) to Chicago (ORD), 70.4% of flights were on time and 2.1% were cancelled. Compare airlines AUS to ORD.

Best and worst months to fly ORD to AUS

Jan 63.6%
Feb 83.2%
Mar 71.7%
Apr 70.6%
May 65.2%
Jun 69.5%
Jul 62.4%
Aug 70.6%
Sep 82.3%
Oct 81.6%
Nov 79.4%
Dec 77.5%
Share of scheduled flights on time 12-month average 70.5%
All airlines combined, by calendar month, September 2023 to August 2026 (3 years pooled). Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
January 63.6% 637
February 83.2% 612
March 71.7% 817
April 70.6% 820
May 65.2% 854
June 69.5% 800
July 62.4% 803
August 70.6% 809
September 82.3% 790
October 81.6% 876
November 79.4% 768
December 77.5% 741
Best and worst calendar month by airline, September 2023 to August 2026.
AirlineBest monthWorst month
United Airlines February (86.6%) January (67.8%)
Envoy Air November (88.2%) January (55.4%)
Southwest Airlines February (84.9%) July (46.8%)
American Airlines October (78.9%) January (57.4%)

Month by month, last 12 months

Sep 79.8%
Oct 75.9%
Nov 73.7%
Dec 67.9%
Jan 66.2%
Feb 85.9%
Mar 64.6%
Apr 66.8%
May 71.0%
Jun 66.5%
Jul 66.3%
Aug 64.3%
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 79.8% 258
Oct 2025 75.9% 299
Nov 2025 73.7% 255
Dec 2025 67.9% 237
Jan 2026 66.2% 207
Feb 2026 85.9% 213
Mar 2026 64.6% 302
Apr 2026 66.8% 295
May 2026 71.0% 300
Jun 2026 66.5% 269
Jul 2026 66.3% 273
Aug 2026 64.3% 277

Best and worst departure times

<6a Insufficient sample
6a Insufficient sample
7a 87.7%
8a 84.4%
9a 76.3%
10a 70.5%
11a 71.2%
12p 80.3%
1p 71.9%
2p 62.0%
3p 57.3%
4p 84.7%
5p Insufficient sample
6p 60.0%
7p 64.8%
8p 61.6%
9p 35.1%
11p Insufficient sample
Share of scheduled flights on time
By scheduled local departure hour at ORD, 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 Insufficient sample 2
Departing 6 am to 7 am Insufficient sample 6
Departing 7 am to 8 am 87.7% 316
Departing 8 am to 9 am 84.4% 308
Departing 9 am to 10 am 76.3% 245
Departing 10 am to 11 am 70.5% 183
Departing 11 am to noon 71.2% 295
Departing noon to 1 pm 80.3% 122
Departing 1 pm to 2 pm 71.9% 367
Departing 2 pm to 3 pm 62.0% 266
Departing 3 pm to 4 pm 57.3% 103
Departing 4 pm to 5 pm 84.7% 59
Departing 5 pm to 6 pm Insufficient sample 18
Departing 6 pm to 7 pm 60.0% 100
Departing 7 pm to 8 pm 64.8% 452
Departing 8 pm to 9 pm 61.6% 229
Departing 9 pm to 10 pm 35.1% 111
Departing 11 pm to midnight Insufficient sample 3
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 Chicago, IL (ORD) to Austin, TX (AUS), 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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