Chicago to Sioux Falls

What the Data Says About ORD to FSD

The Chicago to Sioux Falls corridor (ORD → FSD) covers roughly 462 miles and is served by 21 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 7,571 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 77.2% on-time rate with an average delay of 78.6 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 2,866 flights were recorded on this pairing — 75 cancelled (2.6%) and 5 diverted (0.2%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 21 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 7,571 total flights analyzed, the 77.2% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 78.6-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, Sep 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 95% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at 48% on-time — a 47-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the ORD to FSD route, the combination of a 77.2% on-time rate, 78.6-minute average delay, 2.6% recent cancellation rate, and 21 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.