Route profile
ORD→LGA
Flight reliability, delays and best times to fly from Chicago to New York, 733 miles.
Right now
Aviation weather is not currently a factor.
Aviation weather is not currently a factor.
Route reliability
July 2023 – July 2026
Better than 5% of comparable major US routes (4,598 compared)
Calculated from 33,926 flights. How this is calculated
ORD → LGA arrives on time 73.4% of the time; the return trip, LGA → ORD, arrives on time 75.0% of the time.
ORD → LGA spends 31.6 minutes on the ground on a 733-mile trip: 24.2 minutes from pushback to wheels-up at ORD and 7.4 minutes from touchdown to gate at LGA.
Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics · Data covering July 2023 – July 2026
What stands out
This route's worst arrivals run unusually far past its typical one, a bigger gap than 95% of 4,598 comparable routes.
A typical arrival is 6 min early, but the worst tenth run 77 minutes worse than that.
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026 · Ranked against every other route with the same kind of figure and at least 4,598 in the comparison.
Why ORD → LGA flights are cancelled
July 2023 – July 2026
ORD → LGA cancelled 1,098 of 33,926 scheduled flights — about 1 in every 31. The reason filed most often was extreme weather, 64.8% of the cancellations coded on this route — about 1 in every 48 scheduled flights.
Share of cancellations
Of 1,098 cancelled departures carrying a reason code.
What each reason means
Conditions the carrier judged severe enough to stop the flight: a blizzard, a hurricane, a line of thunderstorms.
711 cancellations, 64.8% of the total.
Crew, maintenance, aircraft cleaning, baggage or fueling: what BTS counts as within the carrier’s own control.
224 cancellations, 20.4% of the total.
Airport capacity, air traffic control flow programs, heavy traffic and ordinary bad weather. A system decision, not the airline’s.
163 cancellations, 14.8% of the total.
A terminal evacuation, a security breach, screening equipment failure, or screening queues over 29 minutes.
0 cancellations, 0.0% of the total.
Reason codes are the operating airline’s own filing with US DOT, not an independent finding of fault. Ordinary bad weather is filed under air traffic, so weather’s full share is larger than its bar.
1,098 coded cancellations were recorded on ORD → LGA; the section appears from 50.
When it goes wrong
July 2023 – July 2026
71 min late
against a median of 6 min early
ORD → LGA has an average that understates its risk: a typical arrival is 6 min early, but the worst tenth are 77 minutes worse than that. If the trip has something unmissable at the end of it, the median is the wrong number to plan against.
Percentiles over 33,926 operations; cancelled and diverted flights are counted separately.
Will your connection be tight enough?
Layovers at LGA after arriving from ORD.
| Connection time | Chance of missing | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| 30 min | 40% | Likely to miss |
| 45 min | 26% | High risk |
| 60 min | 19% | High risk |
| 90 min | 12% | Some risk |
| 120 min | 7.5% | Some risk |
This is one leg of a connection. Gate changes and the next flight's own schedule matter too. And a connection can fail before delay is even the question — this route cancels 3.24% of the time and diverts 0.55% of the time, which a late arrival never shows up in.
Chance of missing is the share of 32,640 arrivals on this route that landed later than the connection time less 30 minutes to reach the next gate.
The worst tenth of arrivals on this route land at least 71 minutes late (90th-percentile gate arrival delay), over 33,926 operations.
Any other layover length: connection checker.
Best time to fly
ORD → LGA flights departing 5–9 AM arrived on time 85.4% of the time, against 61.5% for 6–9 PM departures, a gap of 23.9 percentage points.
By day and hour
On-time arrival rate for each weekday and scheduled departure hour, in local time at the departure airport (ORD).
Hour of departure matters more than day of the week: hourly averages sit a typical 9.5 points from the route-wide rate, weekday averages 2.3 points.
| Hour | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
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| 8 PM–9 PM |
On-time rate, % · stronger color, fewer on time
- 50–59
- 60–69
- 70–79
- 80–89
- 90–99
- Fewer than 120 flights, not scored
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026 · On time is arrival within 15 minutes of schedule. Cells round to whole percentages; the table shows one decimal.
No slot is named best or worst: too few reach 500 flights. Departures before 6 AM (209 flights) are not drawn: no slot in those hours has enough flights to score.
View as tableHide table
| Hour | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 AM–7 AM | 87.7% on time474 flights | 87.7% on time475 flights | 91.0% on time474 flights | 90.2% on time467 flights | 85.6% on time462 flights | 92.8% on time158 flights | 89.7% on time297 flights |
| 7 AM–8 AM | 84.4% on time462 flights | 83.6% on time470 flights | 88.4% on time468 flights | 83.7% on time466 flights | 80.1% on time468 flights | 87.6% on time348 flights | 81.7% on time354 flights |
| 8 AM–9 AM | 81.0% on time469 flights | 83.1% on time476 flights | 87.7% on time466 flights | 85.6% on time464 flights | 79.4% on time465 flights | 82.6% on time269 flights | 83.2% on time415 flights |
| 9 AM–10 AM | 83.7% on time184 flights | 80.4% on time175 flights | 86.8% on time183 flights | 83.3% on time182 flights | 79.8% on time182 flights | 66 flights, too few to score | 81.2% on time187 flights |
| 10 AM–11 AM | 77.9% on time474 flights | 81.1% on time471 flights | 82.3% on time469 flights | 82.4% on time463 flights | 72.6% on time470 flights | 78.7% on time304 flights | 71.8% on time426 flights |
| 11 AM–12 PM | 74.6% on time279 flights | 76.2% on time280 flights | 80.2% on time281 flights | 79.0% on time279 flights | 71.7% on time280 flights | 77.6% on time251 flights | 72.9% on time273 flights |
| 12 PM–1 PM | 70.5% on time370 flights | 74.9% on time377 flights | 72.4% on time375 flights | 73.8% on time371 flights | 68.8% on time373 flights | 81.7% on time176 flights | 68.8% on time373 flights |
| 1 PM–2 PM | 68.2% on time226 flights | 71.4% on time222 flights | 71.0% on time221 flights | 67.3% on time218 flights | 63.8% on time221 flights | 77.8% on time177 flights | 69.0% on time220 flights |
| 2 PM–3 PM | 69.9% on time428 flights | 70.3% on time429 flights | 66.7% on time425 flights | 64.4% on time428 flights | 67.2% on time430 flights | 76.9% on time282 flights | 66.7% on time426 flights |
| 3 PM–4 PM | 69.6% on time197 flights | 71.4% on time193 flights | 67.7% on time199 flights | 69.0% on time189 flights | 69.4% on time195 flights | 115 flights, too few to score | 67.4% on time202 flights |
| 4 PM–5 PM | 62.7% on time312 flights | 68.8% on time306 flights | 69.1% on time304 flights | 62.3% on time298 flights | 63.2% on time307 flights | 68.5% on time229 flights | 59.5% on time304 flights |
| 5 PM–6 PM | 64.7% on time401 flights | 59.6% on time402 flights | 57.6% on time398 flights | 61.6% on time399 flights | 61.0% on time403 flights | 77.5% on time276 flights | 61.1% on time402 flights |
| 6 PM–7 PM | 58.4% on time380 flights | 59.5% on time380 flights | 54.8% on time380 flights | 50.8% on time370 flights | 55.5% on time379 flights | 72.8% on time237 flights | 56.0% on time377 flights |
| 7 PM–8 PM | 62.4% on time232 flights | 69.9% on time231 flights | 61.9% on time227 flights | 61.5% on time225 flights | 66.0% on time229 flights | 101 flights, too few to score | 68.6% on time232 flights |
| 8 PM–9 PM | 59.7% on time287 flights | 67.5% on time286 flights | 66.0% on time284 flights | 60.7% on time281 flights | 68.0% on time285 flights | 73.0% on time203 flights | 58.4% on time286 flights |
By departure window
By departure hour
- 12 AM to 4 AM: too few flights to score
- 5 AM: 89.8% on time from 209 flights
- 6 AM: 88.8% on time from 2,807 flights
- 7 AM: 84.2% on time from 3,036 flights
- 8 AM: 83.3% on time from 3,024 flights
- 9 AM: 82.6% on time from 1,159 flights
- 10 AM: 78.2% on time from 3,077 flights
- 11 AM: 76.0% on time from 1,923 flights
- 12 PM: 72.3% on time from 2,415 flights
- 1 PM: 69.5% on time from 1,505 flights
- 2 PM: 68.5% on time from 2,848 flights
- 3 PM: 69.7% on time from 1,290 flights
- 4 PM: 64.7% on time from 2,060 flights
- 5 PM: 62.6% on time from 2,681 flights
- 6 PM: 57.5% on time from 2,503 flights
- 7 PM: 64.8% on time from 1,477 flights
- 8 PM: 64.5% on time from 1,912 flights
- 9 PM to 11 PM: too few flights to score
Why ORD → LGA runs late
July 2023 – July 2026
the inbound aircraft was late, so this flight started late
airspace and airport capacity, including weather-driven flow control
crew, maintenance, boarding and fueling, all within the carrier’s control
weather severe enough to stop this flight specifically
screening or terminal security incidents
Share of the delay minutes US DOT attributed to each cause for ORD → LGA. Only delays of 15 minutes or more are attributed.
Late-arriving aircraft is the largest cause on ORD → LGA, at 37.8%: flights here mostly leave late because the plane came in late, and the day shows it: 5–9 AM departures arrived on time 85.4% of the time and 6–9 PM departures 61.5%.
How this route holds up in bad weather
July 2023 – July 2026
Bad weather raises cancellations by a similar amount at both ends of ORD to LGA: 5.5 times the normal rate at ORD and 4.1 times at LGA. Cancelled in bad weather against normal hours: ORD 6.5% against 1.2%, LGA 9.0% against 2.2%. Flights that did leave ORD in bad weather arrived on time 55.7% of the time, against 77.1% in normal hours.
Bad weather and normal hours at the airports
Scheduled departures, July 2023 – July 2026| Departures from | ORD | LGA |
|---|---|---|
| Cancelled in bad weather | 6.5% | 9.0% |
| Cancelled in normal hours | 1.2% | 2.2% |
| Arrived on time, bad weather | 55.7% | 63.6% |
| Arrived on time, normal hours | 77.1% | 80.9% |
| Departures in bad weather | 104,455 | 56,339 |
Of the carriers on this route, United Airlines (3.5% cancelled against 7.4% for the other carriers at ORD) cancelled the fewest departures from ORD in bad weather and SkyWest Airlines (10.7% cancelled against 5.8% for the other carriers at ORD) the most.
This route’s airlines in bad weather at ORD
All departures from ORD| Airline | Bad-weather departures | Cancelled | Other carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 31,269 | 3.5%below the others | 7.4% |
| Delta Air Lines | 3,353 | 3.5%below the others | 6.2% |
| American Airlines | 17,789 | 5.4%below the others | 6.7% |
| Spirit Airlines | 2,378 | 4.8%about level | 5.5% |
| Republic Airways | 9,471 | 8.1%above the others | 6.5% |
| SkyWest Airlines | 21,044 | 10.7%above the others | 5.8% |
These are airport figures, not route figures: every scheduled departure from ORD and LGA, to any destination, in hours the weather report called bad. The airline rows count each carrier’s departures from ORD on every route.
Weather source and limits. In full: ORD (airlines), LGA, What Weather Costs Each Airport, Who Cancels More When the Weather Turns, Airports That Change Places When Weather Turns.
Airlines on this route
Carriers with at least 200 flights, by the airline that operated each one.
| Carrier | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Median delay | Severe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 13,753 | 73.7% | 2.68% | -5 min | 11.4% |
| American Airlines | 8,665 | 69.7% | 3.23% | -2 min | 13.7% |
| Delta Air Lines | 6,835 | 76.0% | 3.39% | -11 min | 12.2% |
| Republic Airways | 2,696 | 78.4% | 5.01% | -10 min | 8.1% |
| Spirit Airlines | 1,294 | 69.0% | 3.25% | -2 min | 14.8% |
| SkyWest Airlines | 683 | 76.6% | 6.00% | -9 min | 9.4% |
United Airlines flew 40.5% of the 33,926 flights listed. SkyWest Airlines cancelled 6.00% of its flights here against 2.68% for United Airlines.
Republic Airways arrived on time 9.4 percentage points more often than Spirit Airlines on this route.
Other ways to fly Chicago to New York
Airport pairs in the same two city markets, as the DOT defines them.
| Route | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Median delay | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD→LGA this route Chicago to New York | 33,926 | 73.4% | 3.24% | -6 min | 41 |
| ORD→EWR Chicago to Newark | 18,463 | 71.7% | 2.81% | -5 min | 38 |
Flying to LGA from the Chicago area? Compare ORD, MDW for LGA, with the same test for what counts as a real difference.
Weekly and seasonal patterns
By day of week
Saturday is historically the most reliable day and Sunday the least, a gap of 8.0 percentage points.
By month
- Jan: 73.1%
- Feb: 82.9%
- Mar: 69.6%
- Apr: 75.6%
- May: 71.2%
- Jun: 68.8%
- Jul: 64.8%
- Aug: 71.8%
- Sep: 80.1%
- Oct: 78.7%
- Nov: 76.9%
- Dec: 70.6%
July is historically the weakest month and February the strongest, a spread of 18.1 percentage points.
Reliability over time
July 2023 – July 2026
- July 2023: 67.0% from 769 flights
- August 2023: 78.0% from 809 flights
- September 2023: 75.5% from 771 flights
- October 2023: 89.3% from 785 flights
- November 2023: 88.0% from 799 flights
- December 2023: 81.9% from 724 flights
- January 2024: 68.4% from 789 flights
- February 2024: 87.6% from 808 flights
- March 2024: 80.4% from 898 flights
- April 2024: 81.5% from 946 flights
- May 2024: 68.2% from 987 flights
- June 2024: 68.7% from 937 flights
- July 2024: 64.4% from 985 flights
- August 2024: 67.4% from 967 flights
- September 2024: 87.6% from 931 flights
- October 2024: 85.6% from 954 flights
- November 2024: 85.2% from 906 flights
- December 2024: 74.1% from 861 flights
- January 2025: 77.9% from 923 flights
- February 2025: 81.1% from 872 flights
- March 2025: 73.1% from 962 flights
- April 2025: 80.0% from 963 flights
- May 2025: 72.1% from 981 flights
- June 2025: 67.2% from 977 flights
- July 2025: 63.9% from 1,011 flights
- August 2025: 70.9% from 973 flights
- September 2025: 76.4% from 972 flights
- October 2025: 63.7% from 1,025 flights
- November 2025: 59.3% from 977 flights
- December 2025: 57.6% from 906 flights
- January 2026: 72.2% from 955 flights
- February 2026: 80.1% from 884 flights
- March 2026: 54.6% from 996 flights
- April 2026: 65.2% from 962 flights
- May 2026: 73.4% from 996 flights
- June 2026: 70.4% from 968 flights
- July 2026: 64.5% from 997 flights
Over the most recent 12 months (2025-08 to 2026-07), on-time arrivals averaged 67.3% against 76.1% in the 12 months before — declining by 8.8 percentage points.
Data and methodology
Calculated by FlyerIntel from 33,926 ORD → LGA flight records from the US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, covering July 2023 – July 2026. Late means 15 or more minutes past scheduled arrival; cancelled and diverted flights are left out of on-time rates.
Full methodology · Data sources · Report a problem
Related research: How Long a Layover Needs to Be · Two Airlines on One Route · Best Time of Day to Fly From Major US Airports
Analysis last recomputed