Minneapolis to Chicago

What the Data Says About MSP to ORD

The Minneapolis to Chicago corridor (MSP → ORD) covers roughly 334 miles and is served by 44 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 31,635 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 80.7% on-time rate with an average delay of 79.6 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 12,237 flights were recorded on this pairing — 150 cancelled (1.2%) and 16 diverted (0.1%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 44 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 31,635 total flights analyzed, the 80.7% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 79.6-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 90% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at 52% on-time — a 38-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the MSP to ORD route, the combination of a 80.7% on-time rate, 79.6-minute average delay, 1.2% recent cancellation rate, and 44 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.