Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton to Chicago

What the Data Says About ABE to ORD

The Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton to Chicago corridor (ABE → ORD) covers roughly 654 miles and is served by 4 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 2,314 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 83% on-time rate with an average delay of 117.8 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 1,422 flights were recorded on this pairing — 26 cancelled (1.8%) and 9 diverted (0.6%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 4 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 2,314 total flights analyzed, the 83% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 117.8-minute average delay applies only to flights that actually ran late, so it is not the average wait across all departures — the majority of flights on this route depart on time under the BTS definition of a delay (15+ minutes past schedule).

Looking at recent months, Oct 2022 posted the best performance on this corridor at 91% on-time, while Jul 2023 came in at 58% on-time — a 33-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the ABE to ORD route, the combination of a 83% on-time rate, 117.8-minute average delay, 1.8% recent cancellation rate, and 4 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.