Route · EWR → ORD · 2020–2025 BTS data
Newark to Chicago
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), EWR to ORD (Newark to Chicago) ranks #133 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 77.1%
- On-time
- -1.9 pts
- vs US avg
- 81 min
- Delay when late
- 29,551
- Flights
- #133 of 4927
- Corpus placement
Cancelled
2.4%
Best Month
Feb 2024 89%
Worst Month
Oct 2025 60%
Distance
719 mi
Carriers
34
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of route data.
| Period | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 511 | 161 | 8 | 1 | YX,NK,AA,MQ,UA |
| Nov 2025 | 521 | 173 | 31 | 0 | UA,MQ,NK,AA,YX |
| Oct 2025 | 502 | 199 | 2 | 0 | AA,UA,MQ |
| Sep 2025 | 474 | 91 | 6 | 1 | MQ,UA,AA |
| Aug 2025 | 493 | 132 | 6 | 2 | AA,MQ,UA |
| Jul 2025 | 498 | 170 | 32 | 1 | AA,UA,MQ,NK |
| Jun 2025 | 473 | 127 | 6 | 1 | AA,UA,YX,MQ,NK |
| May 2025 | 514 | 161 | 29 | 0 | AA,UA,YX,MQ,NK |
| Apr 2025 | 501 | 142 | 13 | 1 | MQ,NK,UA,YX,AA |
| Mar 2025 | 531 | 117 | 3 | 1 | AA,UA,YX,MQ,NK |
| Feb 2025 | 471 | 134 | 0 | 0 | AA,UA,YX,MQ,NK |
| Jan 2025 | 501 | 114 | 2 | 1 | AA,UA,YX,MQ,NK |
| Dec 2024 | 545 | 161 | 2 | 0 | AA,MQ,NK,UA,YX |
| Nov 2024 | 553 | 159 | 0 | 0 | UA,MQ,NK,YX,AA |
| Oct 2024 | 588 | 111 | 2 | 0 | UA,NK,AA |
| Sep 2024 | 547 | 109 | 2 | 0 | UA,AA,MQ,NK |
| Aug 2024 | 546 | 189 | 30 | 1 | AA,MQ,NK,UA |
| Jul 2024 | 538 | 194 | 28 | 6 | AA,MQ,NK,UA |
| Jun 2024 | 495 | 156 | 18 | 1 | AA,MQ,UA |
| May 2024 | 513 | 144 | 12 | 2 | AA,MQ,UA |
| Apr 2024 | 474 | 115 | 3 | 1 | AA,MQ,UA |
| Mar 2024 | 460 | 72 | 1 | 0 | AA,MQ,UA |
| Feb 2024 | 415 | 44 | 7 | 2 | AA,MQ,UA |
| Jan 2024 | 430 | 110 | 43 | 1 | AA,MQ,UA |
EWR–ORD seasonal on-time pattern
Best: September (83.8%) · weakest: July (67.6%)
Strongest calendar month
September
83.8% on-time · ~424 flights/mo
Busiest calendar month
October
~449 flights/mo avg
Weakest calendar month
July
67.6% on-time · ~427 flights/mo
Cancellation Rate
2.4%
286 of 12,094 flights
Diversion Rate
0.2%
23 of 12,094 flights
Explore origin & destination
On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.
EWR - Newark
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Newark, NJ.
EWR on-time profileORD - Chicago
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Chicago, IL.
ORD on-time profileCompare the two airports
See EWR and ORD side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.
Compare EWR vs ORDOrigin-hub reliability standing
Mid-pack among EWR departures
From EWR, this corridor sits with 60 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 74 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (5 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 9 below 75%). Destination: Chicago · fleet on-time rank #4063 of 4927.
Similar routes
Other BTS-tracked routes with comparable performance or trip length to EWR–ORD.
Routes with a similar on-time rate
What the Data Says About EWR to ORD
The Newark to Chicago corridor (EWR to ORD) posts a 77.1% on-time rate on the lower edge of the average band, based on 29,551 tracked flights. Late flights run 80.5 minutes behind on average. 34 carriers cover the 719-mile route; over the last 24 months, 286 of 12,094 flights were cancelled (2.4%) and 0.2% diverted.
The monthly split is wide on this route: Feb 2024 posted the strongest performance at 89% on-time, while Oct 2025 came in at just 60% - a 29-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.
On the multi-year calendar, EWR–ORD peaks in September at 83.8% on-time while October carries the heaviest traffic (~449 flights per month) ; the softest month is July at 67.6%, a 16.2-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does EWR to ORD rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
How often are flights delayed from EWR to ORD? ▼
What is the cancellation rate for EWR to ORD? ▼
How far is the flight from EWR to ORD? ▼
When is the best time to fly from EWR to ORD? ▼
Airports on this route
Data source
Data Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), On-Time Performance Data. Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Using EWR–ORD data
EWR–ORD is mid-pack at 77.1% on-time; month and carrier mix move more than the corridor headline.
- Compare EWR and ORD airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. EWR airport
- If your dates flex, September (83.8% on-time) beats July (67.6%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
- 4 other routes post a similar 77.1% on-time rate; compare before you commit to this pairing. Similar routes
On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers on this origin–destination pair, not any single flight or booking recommendation.
Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page aggregates this specific route's on-time performance and monthly trend, live from the dataset. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.