ON TIMEBOARD

FCA → ORD on time

Glacier Park (Kalispell, MT) to Chicago O'Hare (Chicago, IL). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
70%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
0.9%
560 flights
Typical arrival
−3 min
median vs schedule
When late
+90 min
average delay
Flights / day
2
2 airlines

70% of flights from Kalispell to Chicago arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is worse than the typical U.S. route. The noon departures ran on time 73% of the time; the 1 p.m. ones 72%. Most reliable airline: United Airlines (74%). 14% 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 FCA → ORD: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 49% of the time. About 1 in 8 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 37 three hours or more; 0.9% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 560 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
United Airlines30674%1.0%−3 min10.5%+86 minUnited Airlines 54%, SkyWest 46%
American Airlines25465%0.8%−2 min15.0%+93 minAmerican Airlines 89%, Envoy 11%

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 FCA). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%8 a.m. departures: too few flights (75 flights)8a9 a.m. departures: too few flights9a10 a.m. departures: too few flights10a11 a.m. departures: too few flights11anoon departures: 73% on time (210 flights)7312p1 p.m. departures: 72% on time (151 flights)721p2 p.m. departures: too few flights2p3 p.m. departures: too few flights (21 flights)3p4 p.m. departures: too few flights (96 flights)4p
FCA → 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 AirlinesAmerican Airlines
noon73%—
1 p.m.—72%

Last flight of the day

On FCA → ORD, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 1.1% of the time, against 1.0% for its earlier flights, about the same. It arrived 3+ hours late 3.4% of the time (earlier flights: 1.0%). 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
American Airlines4:49 p.m.1.9%3.9%0.0%first flight 1:34 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.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: September (76%). Worst: July (59%).

40%70%100%Jan: too few flights (32 flights)JanFeb: too few flights (28 flights)FebMar: too few flights (41 flights)MarApr: too few flights (4 flights)AprMay: too few flights (52 flights)MayJun: 60% on time (243 flights)60JunJul: 59% on time (259 flights)59JulAug: 66% on time (324 flights)66AugSep: 76% on time (210 flights)76SepOct: too few flights (68 flights)OctNov: too few flights (1 flights)NovDec: too few flights (48 flights)Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday94——
Tuesday59——
Wednesday61——
Thursday74——
Friday85——
Saturday95——
Sunday92——

Why flights were late

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

Air traffic & airport (NAS) 34%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 31%Late inbound plane 27%Severe weather 7%

Cancellations: weather 5

Month by month

40%70%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Jul 2025: 51% on time, 1.6% cancelledAug 2025: 60% on time, 0.9% cancelledAug 2026: 69% on time, 0.7% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
FCA → ORD, monthly on-time and cancellation rate.

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Aug 11, 202650%0
Jul 27, 202640%1
Aug 9, 202640%0
Jul 3, 202640%1
Jul 4, 202640%1

Questions

How often are flights from FCA to ORD on time?

70% of 560 scheduled flights from Kalispell, MT to Chicago, IL arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 0.9% were cancelled.

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

Flights scheduled to leave at noon were the most reliable (73% on time). The 1 p.m. departures were the least (72%).

Which airline is most on time from FCA to ORD?

United Airlines: 74% of its 306 flights on the route arrived on time. American Airlines: 65%.

What month has the most delays from FCA to ORD?

July (59% on time). The best month is September (76%), over 2023–2026.

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

Not much. Each airline's last FCA–ORD flight of the day was cancelled 1.1% of the time over the past year, against 1.0% 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.