Austin to Chicago

What the Data Says About AUS to ORD

The Austin to Chicago corridor (AUS → ORD) covers roughly 977 miles and is served by 49 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 17,150 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 82.3% on-time rate with an average delay of 81.6 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 6,059 flights were recorded on this pairing — 58 cancelled (1.0%) and 18 diverted (0.3%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 49 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 17,150 total flights analyzed, the 82.3% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 81.6-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 2024 came in at 65% on-time — a 29-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the AUS to ORD route, the combination of a 82.3% on-time rate, 81.6-minute average delay, 1.0% recent cancellation rate, and 49 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.