ON TIMEBOARD

ORD → SCE on time

Chicago O'Hare (Chicago, IL) to State College (State College, PA). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
66%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
3.5%
1,529 flights
Typical arrival
−3 min
median vs schedule
When late
+90 min
average delay
Flights / day
4
1 airline

66% of flights from Chicago to State College arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is worse than the typical U.S. route. The 10 a.m. departures ran on time 74% of the time; the 6 p.m. ones 55%. 18% 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 ORD → SCE: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 43% of the time. About 1 in 7 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 31 three hours or more; 3.5% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 1,529 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
United Airlines1,52966%3.5%−3 min14.2%+90 minGoJet 62%, SkyWest 37%, Republic Airways 2%

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

40%70%100%6 a.m. departures: too few flights (72 flights)6a7 a.m. departures: 70% on time (258 flights)707a8 a.m. departures: too few flights8a9 a.m. departures: too few flights9a10 a.m. departures: 74% on time (333 flights)7410a11 a.m. departures: too few flights11anoon departures: too few flights12p1 p.m. departures: 67% on time (136 flights)671p2 p.m. departures: 63% on time (223 flights)632p3 p.m. departures: too few flights (32 flights)3p4 p.m. departures: too few flights (21 flights)4p5 p.m. departures: 55% on time (195 flights)555p6 p.m. departures: 55% on time (150 flights)556p7 p.m. departures: too few flights7p8 p.m. departures: too few flights8p9 p.m. departures: 65% on time (107 flights)659p
ORD → SCE, 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

Last flight of the day

On ORD → SCE, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 6.6% of the time, against 2.5% for its earlier flights (2.6× as often). It arrived 3+ hours late 2.7% of the time (earlier flights: 3.4%). 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 Airlines5:50 p.m.6.6%2.7%2.5%first flight 6:55 a.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 SCE 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 (79%). Worst: January (64%).

40%70%100%Jan: 64% on time (257 flights)64JanFeb: 73% on time (237 flights)73FebMar: 70% on time (279 flights)70MarApr: 69% on time (354 flights)69AprMay: 71% on time (375 flights)71MayJun: 74% on time (319 flights)74JunJul: 72% on time (329 flights)72JulAug: 72% on time (333 flights)72AugSep: 79% on time (349 flights)79SepOct: 76% on time (371 flights)76OctNov: 71% on time (367 flights)71NovDec: 66% on time (283 flights)66Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday23165%6.9%
Tuesday21167%0.9%
Wednesday21070%0.9%
Thursday22068%3.2%
Friday22563%3.6%
Saturday20467%3.9%
Sunday22861%4.4%

Why flights were late

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

Late inbound plane 54%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 28%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 13%Severe weather 4%

Cancellations: weather 40 · air traffic/airport 13

Month by month

50%75%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Sep 2023: 72% on time, 1.6% cancelledOct 2023: 69% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2023: 84% on time, 0.0% cancelledSep 2024: 88% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2024: 85% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2024: 76% on time, 0.0% cancelledApr 2025: 87% on time, 0.8% cancelledMay 2025: 84% on time, 0.8% cancelledJun 2025: 79% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2025: 65% on time, 0.9% cancelledAug 2025: 75% on time, 3.5% cancelledSep 2025: 78% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2025: 74% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2025: 58% on time, 6.8% cancelledDec 2025: 60% on time, 5.7% cancelledJan 2026: 59% on time, 6.4% cancelledFeb 2026: 75% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2026: 61% on time, 3.2% cancelledApr 2026: 56% on time, 6.3% cancelledMay 2026: 64% on time, 3.0% cancelledJun 2026: 74% on time, 3.4% cancelledJul 2026: 70% on time, 4.0% cancelledAug 2026: 65% on time, 0.8% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
ORD → SCE, 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 456810:35 a.m.28975%0.4%−9 minGoJet

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Nov 30, 202560%1
Apr 16, 202660%1
Apr 28, 202660%0
Nov 29, 202560%4
Nov 10, 202550%3

Questions

How often are flights from ORD to SCE on time?

66% of 1,529 scheduled flights from Chicago, IL to State College, PA arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 3.5% were cancelled.

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

Flights scheduled to leave at 10 a.m. were the most reliable (74% on time). The 6 p.m. departures were the least (55%).

What month has the most delays from ORD to SCE?

January (64% on time). The best month is September (79%), over 2023–2026.

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

Yes. Each airline's last ORD–SCE flight of the day was cancelled 6.6% of the time over the past year, against 2.5% 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.