PlainFlights

Route · ORD → IAD · 2020–2025 BTS data

Chicago to Washington

According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), ORD to IAD (Chicago to Washington) ranks #1144 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).

Data updated 2026-06-13

81.7%
On-time
+2.7 pts
vs US avg
74 min
Delay when late
10,108
Flights
#1144 of 4927
Corpus placement

Cancelled

0.7%

Best Month

Oct 2024 92%

Worst Month

Jul 2025 59%

Distance

588 mi

Carriers

4

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of route data.

Period Flights Delayed Cancelled Diverted Carriers
Dec 2025 145 44 0 0 UA
Nov 2025 151 43 3 0 UA
Oct 2025 177 45 0 0 UA
Sep 2025 201 36 0 0 UA
Aug 2025 196 57 1 0 UA
Jul 2025 185 76 3 1 UA
Jun 2025 180 62 0 2 UA
May 2025 186 50 0 1 UA
Apr 2025 180 25 3 0 UA
Mar 2025 152 37 0 1 UA
Feb 2025 112 19 0 0 UA
Jan 2025 124 22 2 0 UA
Dec 2024 127 29 0 0 UA
Nov 2024 149 17 0 0 UA
Oct 2024 157 12 0 0 UA
Sep 2024 151 18 0 0 UA
Aug 2024 155 47 6 2 UA
Jul 2024 155 45 4 0 UA
Jun 2024 151 39 1 0 UA
May 2024 154 38 0 0 UA
Apr 2024 121 22 0 0 UA
Mar 2024 124 23 0 0 UA
Feb 2024 117 18 0 0 UA
Jan 2024 124 36 3 0 UA

ORD–IAD seasonal on-time pattern

Best: April (87.8%) · weakest: July (71.7%)

70%75%80%85%90% JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec 80.5%

Strongest calendar month

April

87.8% on-time · ~130 flights/mo

Busiest calendar month

August

~156 flights/mo avg

Weakest calendar month

July

71.7% on-time · ~152 flights/mo

Cancellation Rate

0.7%

26 of 3,674 flights

Diversion Rate

0.2%

7 of 3,674 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 profile

IAD - Washington

Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Washington, DC.

IAD on-time profile

Compare the two airports

See ORD and IAD side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.

Compare ORD vs IAD

Origin-hub reliability standing

Mid-pack among ORD departures

From ORD, this corridor sits with 147 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 168 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (10 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 11 below 75%). Destination: Washington · fleet on-time rank #2481 of 4927.

What the Data Says About ORD to IAD

10,108 tracked flights put the ORD to IAD pairing (Chicago to Washington) at a 81.7% on-time rate, squarely in line with the wider network. Delays that do occur run 73.9 minutes on average. Across the 588-mile route and its 4 carriers, the trailing 24 months show 0.7% cancelled and 0.2% diverted (3,674 flights sampled).

The monthly split is wide on this route: Oct 2024 posted the strongest performance at 92% on-time, while Jul 2025 came in at just 59% - a 33-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.

On the multi-year calendar, ORD–IAD peaks in April at 87.8% on-time while August carries the heaviest traffic (~156 flights per month) ; the softest month is July at 71.7%, a 16.1-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does ORD to IAD rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking, ORD to IAD ranks #1144 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1). That ordinal matches our busiest-routes listing (total_flights DESC). See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.
How often are flights delayed from ORD to IAD? ▼
Flights from Chicago to Washington have a 81.7% on-time rate based on 10,108 flights. The average delay is 73.9 minutes. The best recent month was Oct 2024 with 92% on-time.
What is the cancellation rate for ORD to IAD? ▼
Over the last 24 months, 0.7% of flights on this route were cancelled (26 of 3,674 flights) and 0.2% were diverted.
How far is the flight from ORD to IAD? ▼
The flight distance from Chicago (ORD) to Washington (IAD) is approximately 588 miles. This route is served by 4 carriers.
When is the best time to fly from ORD to IAD? ▼
The best recent month for on-time performance was Oct 2024 (92% on-time). The worst was Jul 2025 (59% on-time). Consider booking during months with historically better performance.

Airports on this route

ORD Airport

Chicago
IAD Airport

Washington
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–IAD data

ORD–IAD is mid-pack at 81.7% on-time; month and carrier mix move more than the corridor headline.

  • Compare ORD and IAD airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. ORD airport
  • If your dates flex, April (87.8% on-time) beats July (71.7%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
  • 4 other routes post a similar 81.7% 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.

Data sourced from U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) On-Time Performance data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFlights

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.