Chicago to Huntsville

What the Data Says About ORD to HSV

The Chicago to Huntsville corridor (ORD → HSV) covers roughly 510 miles and is served by 13 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 3,736 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 72.1% on-time rate with an average delay of 78.2 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 1,933 flights were recorded on this pairing — 34 cancelled (1.8%) and 5 diverted (0.3%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 13 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 3,736 total flights analyzed, the 72.1% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 78.2-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, Dec 2023 posted the best performance on this corridor at 86% on-time, while Jul 2024 came in at 40% on-time — a 46-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the ORD to HSV route, the combination of a 72.1% on-time rate, 78.2-minute average delay, 1.8% recent cancellation rate, and 13 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.