Chicago to Columbia

What the Data Says About ORD to COU

The Chicago to Columbia corridor (ORD → COU) covers roughly 315 miles and is served by 4 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 3,747 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 76.8% on-time rate with an average delay of 73.3 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 1,823 flights were recorded on this pairing — 47 cancelled (2.6%) and 5 diverted (0.3%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 4 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 3,747 total flights analyzed, the 76.8% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 73.3-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, Oct 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 91% on-time, while Jul 2024 came in at 43% on-time — a 48-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the ORD to COU route, the combination of a 76.8% on-time rate, 73.3-minute average delay, 2.6% recent cancellation rate, and 4 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.