ON TIMEBOARD

ANC → ORD on time

Ted Stevens Anchorage (Anchorage, AK) to Chicago O'Hare (Chicago, IL). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
80%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
1.4%
784 flights
Typical arrival
−7 min
median vs schedule
When late
+65 min
average delay
Flights / day
2
3 airlines

80% of flights from Anchorage to Chicago arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is about the typical U.S. route. The 8 p.m. departures ran on time 89% of the time; the 11 p.m. ones 75%. Most reliable airline: United Airlines (82%). 7% of flights arrived more than an hour late or not at all.

How late?

The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for ANC → ORD: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 62% of the time. About 1 in 21 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 78 three hours or more; 1.4% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 784 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
United Airlines43882%2.1%−11 min4.6%+89 minUnited Airlines
Alaska Airlines20876%0.5%−1 min3.8%+41 minAlaska Airlines
American Airlines13878%0.7%−5 min6.5%+48 minAmerican Airlines

Airline = the name on the ticket. Regional flights (e.g. "Delta Connection") count under the ticketing airline, and the operator is listed.

Best time of day to fly

On-time rate by scheduled departure hour (local time at ANC). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%8 p.m. departures: 89% on time (177 flights)898p9 p.m. departures: 79% on time (341 flights)799p10 p.m. departures: too few flights (14 flights)10p11 p.m. departures: 75% on time (252 flights)7511p
ANC → ORD, share of flights arriving on time, by departure hour. Hours with under 100 flights are greyed out.
82%+ on time76–82%68–76%under 68%too few flights

By airline and hour

DepartsUnited AirlinesAlaska AirlinesAmerican Airlines
8 p.m.89%——
9 p.m.77%—77%
11 p.m.79%71%—

Last flight of the day

On ANC → ORD, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 1.4% of the time, against 0.9% for its earlier flights (1.5× as often). It arrived 3+ hours late 1.8% of the time (earlier flights: 0.5%). It matters more than the numbers suggest. Miss an earlier flight and there's another one that evening; miss the last one and you're usually waiting until morning.

AirlineLast departureLast: cancelledLast: 3h+ lateEarlier: cancelledNext morning
United Airlines11:59 p.m.2.0%2.7%1.4%first flight 8:00 p.m.

Last flight = the airline's last scheduled departure on this route that day, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Times are typical scheduled times over the latest three months.

If you need to be in ORD tonight, book an earlier flight so there's a backup if it's cancelled.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: September (86%). Worst: July (72%).

40%70%100%Jan: too few flights (21 flights)JanFeb: too few flightsFebMar: too few flights (39 flights)MarApr: 85% on time (110 flights)85AprMay: 80% on time (337 flights)80MayJun: 75% on time (430 flights)75JunJul: 72% on time (464 flights)72JulAug: 78% on time (426 flights)78AugSep: 86% on time (258 flights)86SepOct: 84% on time (130 flights)84OctNov: too few flights (48 flights)NovDec: too few flights (53 flights)Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday11275%3.6%
Tuesday10687%0.0%
Wednesday10787%0.0%
Thursday11680%0.9%
Friday11779%0.9%
Saturday11373%0.9%
Sunday11379%3.5%

Why flights were late

Share of delay minutes on flights 15+ minutes late, as reported to BTS by the airlines.

Late inbound plane 41%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 38%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 21%

Cancellations: airline 8 · weather 3

Month by month

50%75%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026May 2024: 74% on time, 0.7% cancelledJun 2024: 73% on time, 0.7% cancelledJul 2024: 63% on time, 1.9% cancelledAug 2024: 75% on time, 0.7% cancelledMay 2025: 88% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2025: 79% on time, 0.7% cancelledJul 2025: 74% on time, 0.7% cancelledAug 2025: 72% on time, 0.7% cancelledSep 2025: 88% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2026: 72% on time, 0.7% cancelledJul 2026: 80% on time, 1.9% cancelledAug 2026: 87% on time, 0.0% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
ANC → ORD, monthly on-time and cancellation rate.

Flight numbers on this route

Regular flights with at least 120 scheduled trips in the past year. Sorted by departure time.

FlightDepartsFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrivalOperated by
UA 83411:59 p.m.12479%2.4%−8 minUnited Airlines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Jun 7, 202640%1
Jul 27, 2026520%1
Jun 20, 2026520%0
Jul 17, 2026520%0
Jul 3, 2026520%0

Questions

How often are flights from ANC to ORD on time?

80% of 784 scheduled flights from Anchorage, AK to Chicago, IL arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 1.4% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly ANC to ORD?

Flights scheduled to leave at 8 p.m. were the most reliable (89% on time). The 11 p.m. departures were the least (75%).

Which airline is most on time from ANC to ORD?

United Airlines: 82% of its 438 flights on the route arrived on time. Alaska Airlines: 76%. American Airlines: 78%.

What month has the most delays from ANC to ORD?

July (72% on time). The best month is September (86%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from ANC to ORD more likely to be cancelled?

Yes. Each airline's last ANC–ORD flight of the day was cancelled 1.4% of the time over the past year, against 0.9% for its earlier flights. If the last flight is cancelled, the next one is usually the following morning.

Related

Domestic flights by the airlines that report to the U.S. DOT, plus their regional partners. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes after schedule; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Past performance is a guide, not a forecast. Method.