Chicago to Kalispell

What the Data Says About ORD to FCA

The Chicago to Kalispell corridor (ORD → FCA) covers roughly 1,352 miles and is served by 10 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 1,657 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 79.2% on-time rate with an average delay of 73.7 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 1,622 flights were recorded on this pairing — 9 cancelled (0.6%) and 1 diverted (0.1%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 10 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 1,657 total flights analyzed, the 79.2% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 73.7-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, Sep 2021 posted the best performance on this corridor at 100% on-time, while Jun 2022 came in at 59% on-time — a 41-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the ORD to FCA route, the combination of a 79.2% on-time rate, 73.7-minute average delay, 0.6% recent cancellation rate, and 10 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.