Albany to Chicago

What the Data Says About ALB to ORD

The Albany to Chicago corridor (ALB → ORD) covers roughly 723 miles and is served by 28 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 7,324 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 82.4% on-time rate with an average delay of 81.8 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 3,089 flights were recorded on this pairing — 42 cancelled (1.4%) and 6 diverted (0.2%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 28 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 7,324 total flights analyzed, the 82.4% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 81.8-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, Feb 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 95% on-time, while Jul 2025 came in at 64% on-time — a 31-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the ALB to ORD route, the combination of a 82.4% on-time rate, 81.8-minute average delay, 1.4% recent cancellation rate, and 28 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.