Route · MDT → ORD · 2020–2025 BTS data
Harrisburg to Chicago
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), MDT to ORD (Harrisburg to Chicago) ranks #2221 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 82.8%
- On-time
- +3.8 pts
- vs US avg
- 80 min
- Delay when late
- 5,639
- Flights
- #2221 of 4927
- Corpus placement
Cancelled
1.6%
Best Month
Mar 2024 94%
Worst Month
Dec 2025 57%
Distance
594 mi
Carriers
25
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of route data.
| Period | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 161 | 69 | 6 | 1 | YX,MQ,UA,OO |
| Nov 2025 | 196 | 42 | 8 | 0 | OO,UA,MQ,YX |
| Oct 2025 | 170 | 43 | 0 | 0 | OO,UA,YX,MQ |
| Sep 2025 | 129 | 20 | 0 | 1 | UA,YX,MQ |
| Aug 2025 | 129 | 15 | 5 | 0 | OO,MQ,UA |
| Jul 2025 | 129 | 31 | 3 | 0 | OO,UA,MQ |
| Jun 2025 | 145 | 37 | 1 | 0 | OO,UA,MQ |
| May 2025 | 135 | 27 | 0 | 0 | OO,UA,YX,MQ |
| Apr 2025 | 139 | 21 | 1 | 0 | MQ,OO,UA,YX |
| Mar 2025 | 59 | 10 | 1 | 0 | YX,OO,UA |
| Feb 2025 | 72 | 21 | 1 | 0 | OO,UA,YX |
| Jan 2025 | 57 | 14 | 1 | 0 | OO,UA,YX |
| Dec 2024 | 64 | 23 | 0 | 0 | OO,UA |
| Nov 2024 | 79 | 13 | 0 | 0 | OO,UA |
| Oct 2024 | 92 | 8 | 0 | 0 | UA,OO,YX |
| Sep 2024 | 65 | 13 | 1 | 0 | YX,OO,UA |
| Aug 2024 | 74 | 18 | 1 | 1 | OO,UA |
| Jul 2024 | 83 | 17 | 2 | 0 | OO,UA |
| Jun 2024 | 79 | 24 | 1 | 0 | OO,UA |
| May 2024 | 96 | 26 | 3 | 0 | YX,OO,UA |
| Apr 2024 | 135 | 13 | 0 | 0 | OO,UA,YX |
| Mar 2024 | 63 | 4 | 0 | 0 | YX,UA |
| Feb 2024 | 58 | 6 | 0 | 0 | OO,UA,YX |
| Jan 2024 | 66 | 15 | 5 | 0 | OO,UA |
MDT–ORD seasonal on-time pattern
Best: March (88.2%) · weakest: December (70.1%)
Strongest calendar month
March
88.2% on-time · ~62 flights/mo
Busiest calendar month
November
~111 flights/mo avg
Weakest calendar month
December
70.1% on-time · ~100 flights/mo
Cancellation Rate
1.6%
40 of 2,475 flights
Diversion Rate
0.1%
3 of 2,475 flights
Explore origin & destination
On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.
MDT - Harrisburg
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Harrisburg, PA.
MDT on-time profileORD - Chicago
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Chicago, IL.
ORD on-time profileCompare the two airports
See MDT and ORD side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.
Compare MDT vs ORDOrigin-hub reliability standing
Mid-pack among MDT departures
From MDT, this corridor sits with 1 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 6 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (5 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 0 below 75%). Destination: Chicago · fleet on-time rank #2036 of 4927.
Similar routes
Other BTS-tracked routes with comparable performance or trip length to MDT–ORD.
Routes with a similar on-time rate
Routes of a similar trip length
What the Data Says About MDT to ORD
Bureau of Transportation Statistics records show Harrisburg to Chicago (MDT to ORD) running a 82.8% on-time rate over 5,639 tracked flights, on the stronger end of a typical domestic pairing. When flights do run late, the average delay is 80.1 minutes. The 594-mile corridor is served by 25 carriers, and over the last 24 months 1.6% of 2,475 flights were cancelled, 0.1% diverted.
The monthly split is wide on this route: Mar 2024 posted the strongest performance at 94% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at just 57% - a 37-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.
On the multi-year calendar, MDT–ORD peaks in March at 88.2% on-time while November carries the heaviest traffic (~111 flights per month) ; the softest month is December at 70.1%, a 18.1-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does MDT to ORD rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
How often are flights delayed from MDT to ORD? ▼
What is the cancellation rate for MDT to ORD? ▼
How far is the flight from MDT to ORD? ▼
When is the best time to fly from MDT to ORD? ▼
Airports on this route
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 MDT–ORD data
MDT–ORD runs 3.8 pts above the national 79% average; the remaining risk is month-to-month swing and carrier mix, not a weak headline rate.
- Compare MDT and ORD airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. MDT airport
- If your dates flex, March (88.2% on-time) beats December (70.1%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
- 4 other routes post a similar 82.8% 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.
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.