Chicago to Chattanooga

What the Data Says About ORD to CHA

The Chicago to Chattanooga corridor (ORD → CHA) covers roughly 501 miles and is served by 6 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 3,032 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 77% on-time rate with an average delay of 72.6 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 2,051 flights were recorded on this pairing — 32 cancelled (1.6%) and 6 diverted (0.3%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 6 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 3,032 total flights analyzed, the 77% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 72.6-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, Mar 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 92% on-time, while Jan 2024 came in at 55% on-time — a 36-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the ORD to CHA route, the combination of a 77% on-time rate, 72.6-minute average delay, 1.6% recent cancellation rate, and 6 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.