Buffalo to Chicago

What the Data Says About BUF to ORD

The Buffalo to Chicago corridor (BUF → ORD) covers roughly 474 miles and is served by 41 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 9,831 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 81.5% on-time rate with an average delay of 86.9 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 4,000 flights were recorded on this pairing — 71 cancelled (1.8%) and 6 diverted (0.1%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 41 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 9,831 total flights analyzed, the 81.5% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 86.9-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 91% on-time, while Aug 2024 came in at 66% on-time — a 25-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the BUF to ORD route, the combination of a 81.5% on-time rate, 86.9-minute average delay, 1.8% recent cancellation rate, and 41 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.