Chicago to Wichita

What the Data Says About ORD to ICT

The Chicago to Wichita corridor (ORD → ICT) covers roughly 588 miles and is served by 21 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 8,936 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 75.8% on-time rate with an average delay of 69.0 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 3,608 flights were recorded on this pairing — 59 cancelled (1.6%) and 10 diverted (0.3%). 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 8,936 total flights analyzed, the 75.8% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 69.0-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, Feb 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 91% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at 51% on-time — a 40-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the ORD to ICT route, the combination of a 75.8% on-time rate, 69.0-minute average delay, 1.6% recent cancellation rate, and 21 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.