Des Moines to Chicago

What the Data Says About DSM to ORD

The Des Moines to Chicago corridor (DSM → ORD) covers roughly 299 miles and is served by 36 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 12,641 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 82.9% on-time rate with an average delay of 87.9 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 4,901 flights were recorded on this pairing — 113 cancelled (2.3%) and 3 diverted (0.1%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 36 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 12,641 total flights analyzed, the 82.9% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 87.9-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, Mar 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 95% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at 63% on-time — a 33-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the DSM to ORD route, the combination of a 82.9% on-time rate, 87.9-minute average delay, 2.3% recent cancellation rate, and 36 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.