Kalispell to Chicago

What the Data Says About FCA to ORD

The Kalispell to Chicago corridor (FCA → ORD) covers roughly 1,352 miles and is served by 10 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 1,657 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 73.9% on-time rate with an average delay of 102.1 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 1,622 flights were recorded on this pairing — 9 cancelled (0.6%) and 15 diverted (0.9%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 10 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 1,657 total flights analyzed, the 73.9% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 102.1-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, Aug 2020 posted the best performance on this corridor at 97% on-time, while Jun 2025 came in at 53% on-time — a 43-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the FCA to ORD route, the combination of a 73.9% on-time rate, 102.1-minute average delay, 0.6% recent cancellation rate, and 10 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.