Route · ORD → COU · 2020–2025 BTS data
Chicago to Columbia
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), ORD to COU (Chicago to Columbia) ranks #3006 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 76.8%
- On-time
- -2.2 pts
- vs US avg
- 73 min
- Delay when late
- 3,747
- Flights
- #3006 of 4927
- Corpus placement
Cancelled
2.6%
Best Month
Oct 2024 91%
Worst Month
Jul 2024 43%
Distance
315 mi
Carriers
4
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of route data.
| Period | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 205 | 94 | 9 | 2 | MQ,OO |
| Nov 2025 | 166 | 44 | 12 | 2 | OO,MQ |
| Oct 2025 | 179 | 40 | 0 | 0 | OO,MQ |
| Sep 2025 | 108 | 19 | 1 | 0 | MQ,OO |
| Aug 2025 | 77 | 22 | 3 | 0 | MQ |
| Jul 2025 | 82 | 30 | 0 | 0 | MQ |
| Jun 2025 | 83 | 26 | 1 | 0 | MQ |
| May 2025 | 91 | 10 | 1 | 0 | MQ |
| Apr 2025 | 78 | 19 | 0 | 0 | MQ |
| Mar 2025 | 59 | 11 | 4 | 0 | MQ |
| Feb 2025 | 56 | 17 | 6 | 0 | MQ |
| Jan 2025 | 55 | 18 | 2 | 0 | MQ |
| Dec 2024 | 47 | 14 | 0 | 0 | MQ |
| Nov 2024 | 34 | 7 | 0 | 0 | MQ |
| Oct 2024 | 56 | 5 | 0 | 0 | MQ |
| Sep 2024 | 33 | 5 | 0 | 0 | MQ |
| Aug 2024 | 61 | 16 | 0 | 0 | MQ |
| Jul 2024 | 61 | 35 | 1 | 0 | MQ |
| Jun 2024 | 60 | 32 | 1 | 0 | MQ |
| May 2024 | 55 | 25 | 1 | 0 | MQ |
| Apr 2024 | 33 | 12 | 0 | 0 | MQ |
| Mar 2024 | 62 | 10 | 0 | 0 | MQ |
| Feb 2024 | 44 | 9 | 0 | 0 | MQ |
| Jan 2024 | 38 | 10 | 5 | 1 | MQ |
ORD–COU seasonal on-time pattern
Best: April (84.5%) · weakest: December (65.8%)
Strongest calendar month
April
84.5% on-time · ~57 flights/mo
Busiest calendar month
December
~82 flights/mo avg
Weakest calendar month
December
65.8% on-time · ~82 flights/mo
Cancellation Rate
2.6%
47 of 1,823 flights
Diversion Rate
0.3%
5 of 1,823 flights
Explore origin & destination
On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.
ORD - Chicago
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Chicago, IL.
ORD on-time profileCOU - Columbia
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Columbia, MO.
COU on-time profileCompare the two airports
See ORD and COU side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.
Compare ORD vs COUOrigin-hub reliability standing
Mid-pack among ORD departures
From ORD, this corridor sits with 147 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 168 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (10 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 11 below 75%). Destination: Columbia · fleet on-time rank #4146 of 4927.
Similar routes
Other BTS-tracked routes with comparable performance or trip length to ORD–COU.
Routes with a similar on-time rate
What the Data Says About ORD to COU
The Chicago to Columbia corridor (ORD to COU) posts a 76.8% on-time rate on the lower edge of the average band, based on 3,747 tracked flights. Late flights run 73.3 minutes behind on average. 4 carriers cover the 315-mile route; over the last 24 months, 47 of 1,823 flights were cancelled (2.6%) and 0.3% diverted.
The monthly split is wide on this route: Oct 2024 posted the strongest performance at 91% on-time, while Jul 2024 came in at just 43% - a 48-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.
On the multi-year calendar, ORD–COU peaks in April at 84.5% on-time while December carries the heaviest traffic (~82 flights per month) ; the softest month is December at 65.8%, a 18.7-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does ORD to COU rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
How often are flights delayed from ORD to COU? ▼
What is the cancellation rate for ORD to COU? ▼
How far is the flight from ORD to COU? ▼
When is the best time to fly from ORD to COU? ▼
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 ORD–COU data
ORD–COU is mid-pack at 76.8% on-time; month and carrier mix move more than the corridor headline.
- Compare ORD and COU airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. ORD airport
- If your dates flex, April (84.5% on-time) beats December (65.8%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
- 4 other routes post a similar 76.8% 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.