Dayton to Chicago

What the Data Says About DAY to ORD

The Dayton to Chicago corridor (DAY → ORD) covers roughly 240 miles and is served by 16 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 5,354 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 81% on-time rate with an average delay of 89.9 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 2,842 flights were recorded on this pairing — 64 cancelled (2.3%) and 4 diverted (0.1%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 16 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 5,354 total flights analyzed, the 81% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 89.9-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, Sep 2025 posted the best performance on this corridor at 89% on-time, while Feb 2025 came in at 63% on-time — a 26-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the DAY to ORD route, the combination of a 81% on-time rate, 89.9-minute average delay, 2.3% recent cancellation rate, and 16 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.