Duluth to Chicago

What the Data Says About DLH to ORD

The Duluth to Chicago corridor (DLH → ORD) covers roughly 397 miles and is served by 5 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 3,716 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 81.3% on-time rate with an average delay of 107.2 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 2,140 flights were recorded on this pairing — 37 cancelled (1.7%) and 3 diverted (0.1%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 5 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 3,716 total flights analyzed, the 81.3% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 107.2-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 Dec 2025 came in at 60% on-time — a 35-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the DLH to ORD route, the combination of a 81.3% on-time rate, 107.2-minute average delay, 1.7% recent cancellation rate, and 5 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.