Lincoln to Chicago

What the Data Says About LNK to ORD

The Lincoln to Chicago corridor (LNK → ORD) covers roughly 466 miles and is served by 9 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 3,891 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 81.2% on-time rate with an average delay of 104.2 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 2,278 flights were recorded on this pairing — 32 cancelled (1.4%) and 6 diverted (0.3%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 9 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 3,891 total flights analyzed, the 81.2% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 104.2-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 96% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at 59% on-time — a 37-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the LNK to ORD route, the combination of a 81.2% on-time rate, 104.2-minute average delay, 1.4% recent cancellation rate, and 9 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.