Route reliability

Chicago (ORD) to Cleveland (CLE): 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 Cleveland, OH (CLE), September 2025 to August 2026.

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

Chicago, ILCleveland, OH

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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 CLE

Chicago, IL to Cleveland, OH

On time
68.7%vs 75.6% U.S. average Worse than average
Cancelled
2.8%vs 1.9% U.S. average Worse than average
60+ min late
12.2%vs 8.1% U.S. average Worse than average
Scheduled flights
4,893in 12 months5 airlines
Most reliable airline
Republic Airways72.0% on time · 583 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 ORD to CLE, 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. Republic Airways Operating carrier; sold as American Eagle, Delta Connection, United Express Most reliable 72.0% 5.3% 8.7% 69 min 0.2% 583
2. United Airlines 70.9% 1.3% 11.6% 78 min 0.0% 2,182
3. Envoy Air Operating carrier; sold as American Eagle 69.9% 4.1% 10.2% 62 min 0.3% 879
4. SkyWest Airlines Operating carrier; sold as United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle, Alaska 64.8% 3.4% 14.7% 87 min 0.2% 853
5. American Airlines 57.1% 3.5% 19.2% 98 min 0.0% 396

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

Republic Airways has the strongest record on this route.

  • Republic Airways had the best on-time record from Chicago (ORD) to Cleveland (CLE): 72.0% of its 583 scheduled flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, compared with 57.1% for American Airlines.
  • 2.8% of flights on this route were cancelled (about 1 in 36), 0.9 points higher than the U.S. average of 1.9%.
  • 12.2% of flights, about 1 in 8, arrived an hour or more late. When a flight was late (15+ minutes), the average arrival delay was 78 min.
  • Overall, 68.7% of flights on this route arrived on time, 6.9 points lower than the U.S. average of 75.6%.
  • Over the last 3 years, October was the most reliable month on this route (80.1% on time) and July the least reliable (63.2%).
  • Cancellations peaked in July, when 4.4% of flights were cancelled.
  • Flights scheduled to depart 9 am to 10 am were the most punctual (90.6% on time); flights scheduled to depart 6 pm to 7 pm were the least (55.3%).
  • In the other direction, Cleveland (CLE) to Chicago (ORD), 72.0% of flights were on time and 3.2% were cancelled. Compare airlines CLE to ORD.

Best and worst months to fly ORD to CLE

Jan 68.3%
Feb 79.3%
Mar 72.7%
Apr 76.9%
May 75.3%
Jun 64.4%
Jul 63.2%
Aug 67.1%
Sep 78.5%
Oct 80.1%
Nov 75.7%
Dec 72.0%
Share of scheduled flights on time 12-month average 68.7%
All airlines combined, by calendar month, September 2023 to August 2026 (3 years pooled). Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
January 68.3% 794
February 79.3% 797
March 72.7% 964
April 76.9% 1,101
May 75.3% 1,141
June 64.4% 1,077
July 63.2% 1,041
August 67.1% 1,112
September 78.5% 948
October 80.1% 996
November 75.7% 881
December 72.0% 850
Best and worst calendar month by airline, September 2023 to August 2026.
AirlineBest monthWorst month
Republic Airways June (87.2%) March (67.2%)
United Airlines October (84.3%) July (64.5%)
Envoy Air September (84.8%) July (60.4%)
SkyWest Airlines September (76.4%) December (48.9%)
American Airlines November (77.3%) June (23.3%)

Month by month, last 12 months

Sep 76.9%
Oct 75.3%
Nov 63.3%
Dec 56.2%
Jan 65.9%
Feb 74.0%
Mar 64.9%
Apr 69.5%
May 75.8%
Jun 65.8%
Jul 69.2%
Aug 64.9%
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 76.9% 403
Oct 2025 75.3% 441
Nov 2025 63.3% 403
Dec 2025 56.2% 361
Jan 2026 65.9% 320
Feb 2026 74.0% 346
Mar 2026 64.9% 445
Apr 2026 69.5% 478
May 2026 75.8% 467
Jun 2026 65.8% 383
Jul 2026 69.2% 399
Aug 2026 64.9% 447

Best and worst departure times

<6a Insufficient sample
6a 77.8%
7a 84.5%
8a 74.4%
9a 90.6%
10a 79.6%
11a 66.3%
12p 72.7%
1p 77.7%
2p 73.4%
3p 61.0%
4p 66.9%
5p 57.9%
6p 55.3%
7p 55.8%
8p 60.9%
9p 58.9%
10p 63.8%
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 77.8% 198
Departing 7 am to 8 am 84.5% 413
Departing 8 am to 9 am 74.4% 172
Departing 9 am to 10 am 90.6% 170
Departing 10 am to 11 am 79.6% 416
Departing 11 am to noon 66.3% 181
Departing noon to 1 pm 72.7% 326
Departing 1 pm to 2 pm 77.7% 197
Departing 2 pm to 3 pm 73.4% 451
Departing 3 pm to 4 pm 61.0% 326
Departing 4 pm to 5 pm 66.9% 269
Departing 5 pm to 6 pm 57.9% 392
Departing 6 pm to 7 pm 55.3% 255
Departing 7 pm to 8 pm 55.8% 441
Departing 8 pm to 9 pm 60.9% 115
Departing 9 pm to 10 pm 58.9% 499
Departing 10 pm to 11 pm 63.8% 69
Departing 11 pm to midnight Insufficient sample 1
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 Cleveland, OH (CLE), 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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