Chicago to Jackson

What the Data Says About ORD to JAC

The Chicago to Jackson corridor (ORD → JAC) covers roughly 1,162 miles and is served by 5 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 3,652 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 78.6% on-time rate with an average delay of 91.1 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 1,869 flights were recorded on this pairing — 15 cancelled (0.8%) and 15 diverted (0.8%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 5 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 3,652 total flights analyzed, the 78.6% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 91.1-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, Oct 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 94% on-time, while Jan 2024 came in at 66% on-time — a 28-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the ORD to JAC route, the combination of a 78.6% on-time rate, 91.1-minute average delay, 0.8% recent cancellation rate, and 5 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.