Route · ORD → FAT · 2020–2025 BTS data
Chicago to Fresno
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), ORD to FAT (Chicago to Fresno) ranks #4749 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 67.7%
- On-time
- -11.3 pts
- vs US avg
- 79 min
- Delay when late
- 668
- Flights
- #4749 of 4927
- Corpus placement
Cancelled
3.1%
Best Month
Sep 2021 86%
Worst Month
Aug 2021 68%
Distance
1,730 mi
Carriers
3
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of route data.
| Period | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 30 | 13 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Aug 2025 | 31 | 16 | 2 | 0 | UA |
| Jul 2025 | 30 | 18 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Jun 2025 | 30 | 12 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| May 2025 | 31 | 17 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Jul 2024 | 30 | 15 | 4 | 0 | UA |
| Jun 2024 | 30 | 20 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| May 2024 | 31 | 17 | 1 | 0 | UA |
| Aug 2023 | 31 | 8 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Aug 2022 | 31 | 7 | 0 | 0 | OO,UA |
| Jul 2022 | 31 | 6 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Oct 2021 | 35 | 10 | 0 | 0 | OO,AA |
| Sep 2021 | 57 | 8 | 0 | 0 | OO,AA |
| Aug 2021 | 59 | 19 | 3 | 5 | OO,AA |
| Jul 2021 | 61 | 9 | 0 | 1 | OO,AA |
| Jun 2021 | 58 | 14 | 0 | 0 | OO,AA |
| Mar 2020 | 31 | 2 | 9 | 0 | UA |
| Jan 2020 | 31 | 5 | 2 | 0 | UA |
ORD–FAT seasonal on-time pattern
Best: March (93.5%) · weakest: May (45.2%)
Strongest calendar month
March
93.5% on-time · ~31 flights/mo
Busiest calendar month
September
~44 flights/mo avg
Weakest calendar month
May
45.2% on-time · ~31 flights/mo
Cancellation Rate
3.1%
21 of 668 flights
Diversion Rate
0.9%
6 of 668 flights
Explore origin & destination
On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.
ORD - Chicago
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Chicago, IL.
ORD on-time profileFAT - Fresno
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Fresno, CA.
FAT on-time profileCompare the two airports
See ORD and FAT side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.
Compare ORD vs FATOrigin-hub reliability standing
Softer reliability from ORD
Among 168 routes leaving ORD, only 11 (including this one) clear below 75% on-time, while 10 stay ≥85% and 147 sit mid-band. Travelers comparing ORD options should weigh this 67.7% print against those peers · fleet on-time rank #4874 of 4927.
Similar routes
Other BTS-tracked routes with comparable performance or trip length to ORD–FAT.
Routes with a similar on-time rate
What the Data Says About ORD to FAT
On-time performance on the ORD to FAT pairing (Chicago to Fresno) trails a chunk of the network: 67.7% of 668 tracked flights arrived on schedule, with a 79.2-minute average delay on the ones that ran late. The route spans about 1,730 miles across 3 carriers. Cancellations over the trailing 24 months hit 3.1% (21 of 668 flights), with 0.9% diverted.
The monthly split is wide on this route: Sep 2021 posted the strongest performance at 86% on-time, while Aug 2021 came in at just 68% - a 18-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.
On the multi-year calendar, ORD–FAT peaks in March at 93.5% on-time while September carries the heaviest traffic (~44 flights per month) ; the softest month is May at 45.2%, a 48.3-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does ORD to FAT rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
How often are flights delayed from ORD to FAT? ▼
What is the cancellation rate for ORD to FAT? ▼
How far is the flight from ORD to FAT? ▼
When is the best time to fly from ORD to FAT? ▼
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 ORD–FAT data
ORD–FAT sits 11.3 pts below the national 79% average; check the seasonal chart and airport profiles before treating the headline as typical.
- Compare ORD and FAT airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. ORD airport
- If your dates flex, March (93.5% on-time) beats May (45.2%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
- 4 other routes post a similar 67.7% 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.