Flights Chicago → Houston
ORD → IAH
Route overview
This flight route connects Chicago to Houston, featuring a mix of aircraft types including the Canadair Regional Jet 700 and Boeing 737 series. With 1,471 total flights recorded, the route has a punctuality rate of 76%, with an average delay time of 17.3 minutes.
Your rights on this US flight (DOT)
US flights have no statutory cash compensation for delays. Under the US DOT rules, if your flight is cancelled or significantly changed and you decline rebooking, you're owed an automatic refund of the unused ticket. The tarmac-delay limit is 3 hours (domestic) / 4 hours (international). Amenities for controllable delays depend on each airline's contract of carriage.
US flight refund rules & checker →General information, not legal advice.
The Chicago (ORD) → Houston (IAH) route is operated by American Airlines, Spirit Airlines, United Airlines. Across 1831 flights monitored in recent months, 76% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 18 minutes. The cancellation rate is 2.89%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 26.1/100 (medium), updated in real time from weather, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel and flight history. At Houston the average ATFM delay is 2.0 minutes (main cause: atfm). Departing from Chicago the average ATFM delay is 2.0 minutes.
Heading to Houston: what to expect in this direction
Flying from Chicago (ORD) to Houston (IAH) heads south-west for about 1,491 km, a flight time of roughly 2h 17m.
Departures from Chicago on this leg cluster in the overnight window: about 40% of ORD-IAH flights take off then.
Air-traffic congestion: departing Chicago the average ATFM delay is 2.0 min (atfm); arriving into Houston it is 2.0 min (atfm).
Across 1,831 tracked ORD-IAH flights, 76% left on time with an average delay of 18 min and a 2.9% cancellation rate.
Route facts
Flights on this route
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Airline punctuality on this route
| Airline | On-time | Average delay | Cancellations |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines (UA) | 74% | 10 min | 6.9% |
| American Airlines (AA) | 74% | 16 min | 3.0% |
| Spirit Airlines (NK) | 74% | 10 min | 1.5% |
Airlines operating ORD-IAH
Airports
Frequently asked questions about ORD-IAH
On the Chicago (ORD) -> Houston (IAH) route, on-time performance is 76% with an average delay of 18 minutes, based on 1831 tracked flights.
The cancellation rate on Chicago-Houston is 2.89% across 1831 monitored flights.
The route is operated by 3 airlines: American Airlines, Spirit Airlines, United Airlines.
Enter your flight number on FlightGuard for a real-time analysis based on 9 factors: weather at Houston, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel, airline punctuality and recent trends.
US flights have no statutory cash compensation for delays. Under US DOT rules, if the airline cancels or significantly changes your flight and you decline rebooking, you're owed an automatic refund of the unused ticket. The tarmac-delay limit is 3 hours (domestic) / 4 hours (international). Meals or hotels for controllable delays depend on each airline's contract of carriage.
