Route · SAN → ORD · 2020–2025 BTS data
San Diego to Chicago
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), SAN to ORD (San Diego to Chicago) ranks #573 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 86.7%
- On-time
- +7.7 pts
- vs US avg
- 98 min
- Delay when late
- 15,732
- Flights
- #573 of 4927
- Corpus placement
Cancelled
1.3%
Best Month
Feb 2024 93%
Worst Month
Jul 2024 72%
Distance
1,723 mi
Carriers
14
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of route data.
| Period | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 309 | 68 | 7 | 1 | AS,AA,UA |
| Nov 2025 | 318 | 79 | 12 | 1 | UA,AA,AS |
| Oct 2025 | 357 | 60 | 4 | 0 | AA,AS,UA |
| Sep 2025 | 269 | 46 | 1 | 0 | UA,F9,AA |
| Aug 2025 | 320 | 87 | 3 | 5 | AA,F9,UA |
| Jul 2025 | 336 | 94 | 5 | 3 | AA,UA,F9 |
| Jun 2025 | 315 | 77 | 1 | 0 | AA,UA,F9 |
| May 2025 | 276 | 37 | 0 | 0 | AA,UA |
| Apr 2025 | 263 | 19 | 3 | 0 | UA,AA |
| Mar 2025 | 228 | 42 | 0 | 1 | AA,UA |
| Feb 2025 | 168 | 28 | 0 | 0 | AA,UA |
| Jan 2025 | 190 | 37 | 1 | 0 | AA,UA |
| Dec 2024 | 228 | 40 | 2 | 0 | AA,UA |
| Nov 2024 | 213 | 26 | 0 | 0 | UA,AA |
| Oct 2024 | 270 | 42 | 2 | 0 | UA,AA |
| Sep 2024 | 246 | 28 | 0 | 0 | UA,AA |
| Aug 2024 | 289 | 48 | 5 | 5 | AA,UA |
| Jul 2024 | 292 | 82 | 12 | 6 | AA,UA |
| Jun 2024 | 269 | 51 | 2 | 0 | AA,UA |
| May 2024 | 247 | 57 | 3 | 3 | AA,UA |
| Apr 2024 | 235 | 27 | 1 | 0 | AA,UA |
| Mar 2024 | 207 | 23 | 0 | 0 | AA,UA |
| Feb 2024 | 187 | 13 | 0 | 1 | AA,UA |
| Jan 2024 | 210 | 26 | 17 | 0 | AA,UA |
SAN–ORD seasonal on-time pattern
Best: April (90.5%) · weakest: July (80.8%)
Strongest calendar month
April
90.5% on-time · ~193 flights/mo
Busiest calendar month
July
~257 flights/mo avg
Weakest calendar month
July
80.8% on-time · ~257 flights/mo
Cancellation Rate
1.3%
81 of 6,242 flights
Diversion Rate
0.4%
26 of 6,242 flights
Explore origin & destination
On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.
SAN - San Diego
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for San Diego, CA.
SAN on-time profileORD - Chicago
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Chicago, IL.
ORD on-time profileCompare the two airports
See SAN and ORD side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.
Compare SAN vs ORDOrigin-hub reliability standing
Among SAN's stronger departures
SAN → ORD posts a 86.7% on-time rate, landing in the ≥85% band with 13 of 51 BTS-tracked routes leaving San Diego. The same hub also shows 34 mid-band and 4 challenged departures · fleet-wide on-time rank #716 of 4927 (highest on-time = #1).
Similar routes
Other BTS-tracked routes with comparable performance or trip length to SAN–ORD.
Routes with a similar on-time rate
What the Data Says About SAN to ORD
San Diego to Chicago (SAN to ORD) is one of the more dependable pairings in the BTS On-Time Performance dataset: a 86.7% on-time rate across 15,732 flights, with delays that do happen averaging 98.1 minutes. The corridor runs roughly 1,723 miles and is served by 14 carriers. Over the most recent 24 months, 81 of 6,242 flights were cancelled (1.3%) and 26 diverted (0.4%).
The monthly split is wide on this route: Feb 2024 posted the strongest performance at 93% on-time, while Jul 2024 came in at just 72% - a 21-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.
On the multi-year calendar, SAN–ORD peaks in April at 90.5% on-time while July carries the heaviest traffic (~257 flights per month) ; the softest month is July at 80.8%, a 9.7-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does SAN to ORD rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
How often are flights delayed from SAN to ORD? ▼
What is the cancellation rate for SAN to ORD? ▼
How far is the flight from SAN to ORD? ▼
When is the best time to fly from SAN 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 SAN–ORD data
SAN–ORD runs 7.7 pts above the national 79% average; the remaining risk is month-to-month swing and carrier mix, not a weak headline rate.
- Compare SAN and ORD airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. SAN airport
- If your dates flex, April (90.5% on-time) beats July (80.8%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
- 4 other routes post a similar 86.7% 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.