Philadelphia to Chicago flights
about 119 flights a week across 19 operators, most often on the Boeing 737 (all variants). Below: the aircraft mix, and what the safety record and the turbulence model say for this route.
Route FAQ
How long does the flight from Philadelphia to Chicago take?
Flight time from Philadelphia (PHL) to Chicago (ORD) depends on routing, aircraft type, and whether the flight is direct or connecting. A direct flight typically reflects great-circle distance plus winds, while one-stop options can add several hours depending on the layover airport. The typical block time and frequency we have observed for this route are shown above.
Which airlines fly from Philadelphia to Chicago?
Airline availability for PHL to ORD changes by season and sometimes week to week as carriers adjust capacity. The airlines and aircraft types observed operating this route, both direct and connecting, are listed below based on real flight-tracking data.
Are there direct flights from Philadelphia to Chicago?
Direct (nonstop) availability on PHL to ORD varies by date, day of week, and season. Busy city pairs usually have multiple daily nonstops, while thinner routes may only have direct service a few days per week or only during peak seasons.
No fatal or serious occurrence recorded and attributed to operators on this pair in the last 90 days.
- United Airlines5-yr attributed events: 58Last 90 days: none recorded
- American Airlines5-yr attributed events: 26Last 90 days: none recorded
- SkyWest5-yr attributed events: 5Last 90 days: none recorded
- UPS5-yr attributed events: 5Last 90 days: none recorded
- Frontier Airlines5-yr attributed events: 7Last 90 days: none recorded
| Carrier | Sightings / 90d | Safety events |
|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 7 sightings | No recorded events |
| American Airlines | 5 sightings | No recorded events |
| SkyWest | 3 sightings | No recorded events |
| UPS | 1 sighting | No recorded events |
| Frontier Airlines | 1 sighting | No recorded events |
Flight patterns on PHL → ORD
We observed 1535 flights on this route over the last 90 days (about 119.4 per week) across 19 airlines.
Departures cluster around 21:00–22:00 UTC, 12:00–13:00 UTC, 19:00–20:00 UTC, busiest on Monday and Tuesday.
On-time performance: 29.2% of departures left within 15 minutes of schedule (average delay 92.2 min, based on 542 timed flights).
Historically, 75.8% of flights on PHL → ORD arrived within 15 minutes of schedule (average arrival delay 9.2 min; 4.1% cancelled), across 170,653 flights from 1987–2025. Source: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS).
In 2025, 1,204,530 passengers flew between ORD and PHL (both directions) on 8,923 flights, led by AA. Source: U.S. DOT BTS T-100. US air traffic.
Carrier on-time performance (last 12 months)
| Carrier | On-time % | Avg delay | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 71.4% | 29.3 min | 5,546 |
| United Airlines | 72.7% | 23.6 min | 3,369 |
| Frontier Airlines | 57.5% | 59.6 min | 353 |
| Republic Airlines | 85.7% | 6.8 min | 49 |
On-time = arrival within 15 minutes of schedule, per U.S. DOT definitions. Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (public domain). Delay-cause attribution is reported by carriers since June 2003.
Planning PHL → ORD
PHL to ORD is a short-haul route of 1,088 km (676 mi). See the return ORD → PHL route.
Alternative airports near Philadelphia: Philadelphia (BBX) — 30 km, Philadelphia (PNE) — 31 km, Mount Holly (LLY) — 35 km.
Alternative airports near Chicago: Chicago-Wheeling (PWK) — 15 km, Chicago (MDW) — 25 km, Chicago (CGX) — 28 km.