Chicago to Duluth

What the Data Says About ORD to DLH

The Chicago to Duluth corridor (ORD → DLH) covers roughly 397 miles and is served by 6 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 3,685 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 76.8% on-time rate with an average delay of 77.4 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 2,140 flights were recorded on this pairing — 32 cancelled (1.5%) and 9 diverted (0.4%). 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 3,685 total flights analyzed, the 76.8% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 77.4-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, Apr 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 94% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at 46% on-time — a 48-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the ORD to DLH route, the combination of a 76.8% on-time rate, 77.4-minute average delay, 1.5% recent cancellation rate, and 6 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.