ON TIMEBOARD
PSP Palm Springs / ORD Chicago

PSP → ORD on time

Palm Springs (Palm Springs, CA) to Chicago O'Hare (Chicago, IL). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
72%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
2.5%
787 flights
Typical arrival
−7 min
median vs schedule
When late
+107 min
average delay
Flights / day
2
2 airlines

72% of flights from Palm Springs to Chicago arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is worse than the typical U.S. route. The 6 a.m. departures ran on time 80% of the time; the 11 a.m. ones 77%. Most reliable airline: United Airlines (78%). 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 PSP → ORD: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 47% of the time. About 1 in 10 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 26 three hours or more; 2.5% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 787 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
American Airlines45168%3.1%−7 min11.3%+107 minAmerican Airlines
United Airlines33678%1.8%−7 min8.6%+106 minUnited 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 PSP). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%6 a.m. departures: 80% on time (162 flights)806a7 a.m. departures: too few flights (53 flights)7a8 a.m. departures: too few flights8a9 a.m. departures: too few flights9a10 a.m. departures: too few flights (41 flights)10a11 a.m. departures: 77% on time (329 flights)7711anoon departures: too few flights (37 flights)12p1 p.m. departures: too few flights (31 flights)1p2 p.m. departures: too few flights (56 flights)2p3 p.m. departures: too few flights (56 flights)3p4 p.m. departures: too few flights4p5 p.m. departures: too few flights5p6 p.m. departures: too few flights6p7 p.m. departures: too few flights7p8 p.m. departures: too few flights8p9 p.m. departures: too few flights9p10 p.m. departures: too few flights (1 flights)10p11 p.m. departures: too few flights (21 flights)11p
PSP → 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

DepartsAmerican AirlinesUnited Airlines
6 a.m.79%—
11 a.m.—79%

Last flight of the day

On PSP → ORD, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 3.1% of the time, against 3.1% for its earlier flights, about the same. It arrived 3+ hours late 3.8% of the time (earlier flights: 4.6%). 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 Airlines—3.1%3.6%3.1%—

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: February (85%). Worst: March (68%).

40%70%100%Jan: 77% on time (208 flights)77JanFeb: 85% on time (229 flights)85FebMar: 68% on time (299 flights)68MarApr: 81% on time (350 flights)81AprMay: 77% on time (173 flights)77MayJun: too few flights (8 flights)JunJul: too few flightsJulAug: too few flightsAugSep: too few flights (13 flights)SepOct: 82% on time (195 flights)82OctNov: 79% on time (218 flights)79NovDec: 83% on time (252 flights)83Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday11674%3.5%
Tuesday11573%1.7%
Wednesday11075%1.8%
Thursday10579%0.0%
Friday11274%0.9%
Saturday11466%7.0%
Sunday11566%2.6%

Why flights were late

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

Late inbound plane 37%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 33%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 25%Severe weather 5%

Cancellations: weather 11 · air traffic/airport 8 · airline 1

Month by month

40%70%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Apr 2024: 82% on time, 0.8% cancelledApr 2025: 87% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2025: 80% on time, 1.8% cancelledFeb 2026: 79% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2026: 52% on time, 2.3% cancelledApr 2026: 74% on time, 2.5% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
PSP → ORD, monthly on-time and cancellation rate.

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Nov 30, 202550%0
Mar 31, 202640%0
Apr 2, 202640%0
Mar 6, 202640%0
Apr 27, 202640%0

Questions

How often are flights from PSP to ORD on time?

72% of 787 scheduled flights from Palm Springs, CA to Chicago, IL arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 2.5% were cancelled.

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

Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. were the most reliable (80% on time). The 11 a.m. departures were the least (77%).

Which airline is most on time from PSP to ORD?

United Airlines: 78% of its 336 flights on the route arrived on time. American Airlines: 68%.

What month has the most delays from PSP to ORD?

March (68% on time). The best month is February (85%), over 2023–2026.

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

Not much. Each airline's last PSP–ORD flight of the day was cancelled 3.1% of the time over the past year, against 3.1% 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.