Moline to Chicago

What the Data Says About MLI to ORD

The Moline to Chicago corridor (MLI → ORD) covers roughly 139 miles and is served by 16 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 7,138 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 83.6% on-time rate with an average delay of 100.2 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 3,112 flights were recorded on this pairing — 88 cancelled (2.8%) and 0 diverted (0.0%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 16 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 7,138 total flights analyzed, the 83.6% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 100.2-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 93% on-time, while Jan 2024 came in at 64% on-time — a 29-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the MLI to ORD route, the combination of a 83.6% on-time rate, 100.2-minute average delay, 2.8% recent cancellation rate, and 16 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.