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Route · LEX → ORD · 2020–2025 BTS data

Lexington to Chicago

According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), LEX to ORD (Lexington to Chicago) ranks #1822 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).

Data updated 2026-06-13

80.2%
On-time
+1.2 pts
vs US avg
82 min
Delay when late
6,918
Flights
#1822 of 4927
Corpus placement

Cancelled

1.6%

Best Month

Apr 2024 92%

Worst Month

Dec 2025 52%

Distance

323 mi

Carriers

17

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of route data.

Period Flights Delayed Cancelled Diverted Carriers
Dec 2025 122 59 4 0 OH,MQ,OO
Nov 2025 143 34 8 0 OO,MQ
Oct 2025 229 76 0 0 OO,MQ
Sep 2025 206 41 3 0 OO
Aug 2025 174 50 6 0 OO
Jul 2025 152 58 4 1 OO
Jun 2025 149 54 0 0 OO,MQ
May 2025 132 37 2 0 OO,MQ
Apr 2025 130 25 2 0 MQ,OO
Mar 2025 55 13 0 0 OO,MQ
Feb 2025 51 12 0 0 OO,MQ
Jan 2025 55 17 2 0 OO,MQ
Dec 2024 93 20 0 0 MQ,OO,YX
Nov 2024 135 21 0 0 OO,YX,MQ
Oct 2024 109 16 0 0 MQ,OO,YX
Sep 2024 165 31 0 0 YX,OO,MQ
Aug 2024 136 32 2 0 MQ,OO
Jul 2024 127 26 2 0 MQ,OO,YX
Jun 2024 105 23 1 0 MQ,OO,YX
May 2024 141 30 4 1 MQ,OO,YX
Apr 2024 179 14 1 1 MQ,OO,YX
Mar 2024 155 14 0 0 MQ,YX,OO
Feb 2024 115 24 0 0 MQ,OO,YX
Jan 2024 95 35 8 0 MQ,YX,OO

LEX–ORD seasonal on-time pattern

Best: March (87.4%) · weakest: June (72.4%)

70%75%80%85%90% JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec 73.1%

Strongest calendar month

March

87.4% on-time · ~90 flights/mo

Busiest calendar month

May

~133 flights/mo avg

Weakest calendar month

June

72.4% on-time · ~122 flights/mo

Cancellation Rate

1.6%

49 of 3,153 flights

Diversion Rate

0.1%

3 of 3,153 flights

Explore origin & destination

On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.

LEX - Lexington

Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Lexington, KY.

LEX on-time profile

ORD - Chicago

Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Chicago, IL.

ORD on-time profile

Compare the two airports

See LEX and ORD side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.

Compare LEX vs ORD

Origin-hub reliability standing

Mid-pack among LEX departures

From LEX, this corridor sits with 4 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 6 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (2 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 0 below 75%). Destination: Chicago · fleet on-time rank #3069 of 4927.

What the Data Says About LEX to ORD

6,918 tracked flights put the LEX to ORD pairing (Lexington to Chicago) at a 80.2% on-time rate, squarely in line with the wider network. Delays that do occur run 82.3 minutes on average. Across the 323-mile route and its 17 carriers, the trailing 24 months show 1.6% cancelled and 0.1% diverted (3,153 flights sampled).

The monthly split is wide on this route: Apr 2024 posted the strongest performance at 92% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at just 52% - a 41-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.

On the multi-year calendar, LEX–ORD peaks in March at 87.4% on-time while May carries the heaviest traffic (~133 flights per month) ; the softest month is June at 72.4%, a 15.0-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does LEX to ORD rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking, LEX to ORD ranks #1822 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1). That ordinal matches our busiest-routes listing (total_flights DESC). See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.
How often are flights delayed from LEX to ORD? ▼
Flights from Lexington to Chicago have a 80.2% on-time rate based on 6,918 flights. The average delay is 82.3 minutes. The best recent month was Apr 2024 with 92% on-time.
What is the cancellation rate for LEX to ORD? ▼
Over the last 24 months, 1.6% of flights on this route were cancelled (49 of 3,153 flights) and 0.1% were diverted.
How far is the flight from LEX to ORD? ▼
The flight distance from Lexington (LEX) to Chicago (ORD) is approximately 323 miles. This route is served by 17 carriers.
When is the best time to fly from LEX to ORD? ▼
The best recent month for on-time performance was Apr 2024 (92% on-time). The worst was Dec 2025 (52% on-time). Consider booking during months with historically better performance.

Airports on this route

LEX Airport

Lexington
ORD Airport

Chicago
Data source

Data Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), On-Time Performance Data. Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Using LEX–ORD data

LEX–ORD is mid-pack at 80.2% on-time; month and carrier mix move more than the corridor headline.

  • Compare LEX and ORD airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. LEX airport
  • If your dates flex, March (87.4% on-time) beats June (72.4%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
  • 4 other routes post a similar 80.2% on-time rate; compare before you commit to this pairing. Similar routes

On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers on this origin–destination pair, not any single flight or booking recommendation.

Data sourced from U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) On-Time Performance data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFlights

Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page aggregates this specific route's on-time performance and monthly trend, live from the dataset. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.