Route reliability

Chicago (ORD) to Orlando (MCO): 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 Orlando, FL (MCO), September 2025 to August 2026.

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

Chicago, ILOrlando, FL

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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 MCO

Chicago, IL to Orlando, FL

On time
71.2%vs 75.6% U.S. average Worse than average
Cancelled
1.6%vs 1.9% U.S. average About average
60+ min late
10.3%vs 8.1% U.S. average Worse than average
Scheduled flights
6,220in 12 months5 airlines
Most reliable airline
United Airlines77.8% on time · 2,537 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 MCO, 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 77.8% 0.7% 7.2% 70 min 0.7% 2,537
2. Frontier Airlines 71.3% 2.3% 12.6% 106 min 0.0% 390
3. Southwest Airlines 70.5% 1.3% 8.3% 67 min 0.4% 672
4. Spirit Airlines 68.9% 3.7% 11.1% 79 min 0.2% 460
5. American Airlines 64.1% 2.2% 14.1% 77 min 0.6% 2,161

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 Orlando (MCO): 77.8% of its 2,537 scheduled flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, compared with 64.1% for American Airlines.
  • 1.6% of flights on this route were cancelled (about 1 in 63), about the same as the U.S. average of 1.9%.
  • 10.3% of flights, about 1 in 10, arrived an hour or more late. When a flight was late (15+ minutes), the average arrival delay was 75 min.
  • Overall, 71.2% of flights on this route arrived on time, 4.4 points lower than the U.S. average of 75.6%.
  • Over the last 3 years, September was the most reliable month on this route (82.1% on time) and July the least reliable (66.9%).
  • Cancellations peaked in January, when 3.0% of flights were cancelled.
  • Flights scheduled to depart 6 am to 7 am were the most punctual (85.7% on time); flights scheduled to depart 6 pm to 7 pm were the least (54.1%).
  • In the other direction, Orlando (MCO) to Chicago (ORD), 69.3% of flights were on time and 1.8% were cancelled. Compare airlines MCO to ORD.

Best and worst months to fly ORD to MCO

Jan 69.4%
Feb 80.6%
Mar 69.4%
Apr 76.7%
May 74.5%
Jun 70.2%
Jul 66.9%
Aug 67.9%
Sep 82.1%
Oct 81.1%
Nov 80.4%
Dec 73.2%
Share of scheduled flights on time 12-month average 71.2%
All airlines combined, by calendar month, September 2023 to August 2026 (3 years pooled). Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
January 69.4% 1,423
February 80.6% 1,378
March 69.4% 1,710
April 76.7% 1,569
May 74.5% 1,427
June 70.2% 1,331
July 66.9% 1,344
August 67.9% 1,307
September 82.1% 1,146
October 81.1% 1,333
November 80.4% 1,289
December 73.2% 1,440
Best and worst calendar month by airline, September 2023 to August 2026.
AirlineBest monthWorst month
United Airlines February (85.5%) August (73.3%)
Frontier Airlines February (78.4%) June (52.1%)
Southwest Airlines July (89.1%) March (62.9%)
Spirit Airlines June (84.5%) March (64.9%)
American Airlines September (81.8%) July (53.3%)

Month by month, last 12 months

Sep 85.9%
Oct 79.1%
Nov 75.5%
Dec 67.6%
Jan 67.6%
Feb 78.9%
Mar 63.4%
Apr 65.9%
May 72.3%
Jun 65.2%
Jul 71.7%
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 85.9% 454
Oct 2025 79.1% 535
Nov 2025 75.5% 503
Dec 2025 67.6% 552
Jan 2026 67.6% 540
Feb 2026 78.9% 551
Mar 2026 63.4% 688
Apr 2026 65.9% 583
May 2026 72.3% 502
Jun 2026 65.2% 431
Jul 2026 71.7% 438
Aug 2026 64.3% 443

Best and worst departure times

<6a Insufficient sample
6a 85.7%
7a 84.8%
8a 82.3%
9a 77.2%
10a 67.0%
11a 74.7%
12p 63.2%
1p 65.6%
2p 70.9%
3p 69.4%
4p 60.1%
5p 69.4%
6p 54.1%
7p 57.3%
8p 65.7%
9p 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 48
Departing 6 am to 7 am 85.7% 804
Departing 7 am to 8 am 84.8% 441
Departing 8 am to 9 am 82.3% 198
Departing 9 am to 10 am 77.2% 470
Departing 10 am to 11 am 67.0% 464
Departing 11 am to noon 74.7% 356
Departing noon to 1 pm 63.2% 511
Departing 1 pm to 2 pm 65.6% 302
Departing 2 pm to 3 pm 70.9% 578
Departing 3 pm to 4 pm 69.4% 359
Departing 4 pm to 5 pm 60.1% 263
Departing 5 pm to 6 pm 69.4% 571
Departing 6 pm to 7 pm 54.1% 320
Departing 7 pm to 8 pm 57.3% 426
Departing 8 pm to 9 pm 65.7% 102
Departing 9 pm to 10 pm Insufficient sample 7
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 Orlando, FL (MCO), 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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