Dallas/Fort Worth to Chicago

What the Data Says About DFW to ORD

The Dallas/Fort Worth to Chicago corridor (DFW → ORD) covers roughly 802 miles and is served by 46 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 34,708 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 78.7% on-time rate with an average delay of 78.6 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 13,255 flights were recorded on this pairing — 254 cancelled (1.9%) and 39 diverted (0.3%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 46 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 34,708 total flights analyzed, the 78.7% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 78.6-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 88% on-time, while May 2024 came in at 56% on-time — a 32-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the DFW to ORD route, the combination of a 78.7% on-time rate, 78.6-minute average delay, 1.9% recent cancellation rate, and 46 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.