Route · SAT → ORD · 2020–2025 BTS data
San Antonio to Chicago
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), SAT to ORD (San Antonio to Chicago) ranks #1451 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 86.4%
- On-time
- +7.4 pts
- vs US avg
- 95 min
- Delay when late
- 8,399
- Flights
- #1451 of 4927
- Corpus placement
Cancelled
1.5%
Best Month
Mar 2024 94%
Worst Month
Jul 2025 70%
Distance
1,041 mi
Carriers
39
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of route data.
| Period | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 160 | 37 | 2 | 0 | YX,AA,UA,OO |
| Nov 2025 | 160 | 35 | 6 | 1 | OO,UA,AA |
| Oct 2025 | 179 | 39 | 0 | 0 | AA,OO,UA,YX |
| Sep 2025 | 151 | 28 | 1 | 0 | UA,OO,YX,AA |
| Aug 2025 | 154 | 39 | 5 | 2 | AA,OO,UA |
| Jul 2025 | 167 | 50 | 5 | 4 | AA,OO,UA |
| Jun 2025 | 169 | 40 | 2 | 1 | AA,OO,UA |
| May 2025 | 171 | 31 | 2 | 1 | AA,OO,UA |
| Apr 2025 | 169 | 39 | 1 | 0 | OO,UA,AA |
| Mar 2025 | 136 | 21 | 1 | 1 | AA,OO,UA |
| Feb 2025 | 101 | 7 | 0 | 0 | AA,UA,MQ |
| Jan 2025 | 108 | 15 | 1 | 0 | AA,UA,YX,MQ |
| Dec 2024 | 120 | 10 | 1 | 0 | AA,UA,YX |
| Nov 2024 | 113 | 10 | 0 | 0 | UA,MQ,AA |
| Oct 2024 | 137 | 10 | 0 | 1 | UA,OO,AA |
| Sep 2024 | 136 | 9 | 0 | 0 | OO,UA,AA |
| Aug 2024 | 125 | 14 | 1 | 0 | AA,OO,UA |
| Jul 2024 | 118 | 24 | 2 | 1 | AA,UA |
| Jun 2024 | 116 | 14 | 2 | 0 | AA,UA |
| May 2024 | 122 | 32 | 3 | 1 | AA,UA |
| Apr 2024 | 116 | 17 | 0 | 0 | AA,MQ,UA |
| Mar 2024 | 115 | 7 | 1 | 0 | AA,MQ,UA |
| Feb 2024 | 104 | 7 | 0 | 1 | AA,UA |
| Jan 2024 | 108 | 18 | 14 | 2 | AA,UA |
SAT–ORD seasonal on-time pattern
Best: March (90.3%) · weakest: August (81.6%)
Strongest calendar month
March
90.3% on-time · ~120 flights/mo
Busiest calendar month
October
~128 flights/mo avg
Weakest calendar month
August
81.6% on-time · ~120 flights/mo
Cancellation Rate
1.5%
50 of 3,255 flights
Diversion Rate
0.5%
16 of 3,255 flights
Explore origin & destination
On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.
SAT - San Antonio
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for San Antonio, TX.
SAT on-time profileORD - Chicago
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Chicago, IL.
ORD on-time profileCompare the two airports
See SAT and ORD side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.
Compare SAT vs ORDOrigin-hub reliability standing
Among SAT's stronger departures
SAT → ORD posts a 86.4% on-time rate, landing in the ≥85% band with 17 of 31 BTS-tracked routes leaving San Antonio. The same hub also shows 12 mid-band and 2 challenged departures · fleet-wide on-time rank #802 of 4927 (highest on-time = #1).
Similar routes
Other BTS-tracked routes with comparable performance or trip length to SAT–ORD.
Routes with a similar on-time rate
What the Data Says About SAT to ORD
San Antonio to Chicago (SAT to ORD) is one of the more dependable pairings in the BTS On-Time Performance dataset: a 86.4% on-time rate across 8,399 flights, with delays that do happen averaging 95.0 minutes. The corridor runs roughly 1,041 miles and is served by 39 carriers. Over the most recent 24 months, 50 of 3,255 flights were cancelled (1.5%) and 16 diverted (0.5%).
The monthly split is wide on this route: Mar 2024 posted the strongest performance at 94% on-time, while Jul 2025 came in at just 70% - a 24-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.
On the multi-year calendar, SAT–ORD peaks in March at 90.3% on-time while October carries the heaviest traffic (~128 flights per month) ; the softest month is August at 81.6%, a 8.7-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does SAT to ORD rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
How often are flights delayed from SAT to ORD? ▼
What is the cancellation rate for SAT to ORD? ▼
How far is the flight from SAT to ORD? ▼
When is the best time to fly from SAT 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 SAT–ORD data
SAT–ORD runs 7.4 pts above the national 79% average; the remaining risk is month-to-month swing and carrier mix, not a weak headline rate.
- Compare SAT and ORD airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. SAT airport
- If your dates flex, March (90.3% on-time) beats August (81.6%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
- 4 other routes post a similar 86.4% 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.