Bangor to Chicago

What the Data Says About BGR to ORD

The Bangor to Chicago corridor (BGR → ORD) covers roughly 978 miles and is served by 12 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 2,131 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 76.8% on-time rate with an average delay of 84.0 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 2,016 flights were recorded on this pairing — 34 cancelled (1.7%) and 3 diverted (0.1%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 12 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 2,131 total flights analyzed, the 76.8% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 84.0-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 2021 posted the best performance on this corridor at 92% on-time, while Jun 2024 came in at 53% on-time — a 39-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the BGR to ORD route, the combination of a 76.8% on-time rate, 84.0-minute average delay, 1.7% recent cancellation rate, and 12 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.