Chicago to Lincoln

What the Data Says About ORD to LNK

The Chicago to Lincoln corridor (ORD → LNK) covers roughly 466 miles and is served by 8 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 3,831 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 76.5% on-time rate with an average delay of 78.9 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 2,280 flights were recorded on this pairing — 34 cancelled (1.5%) and 7 diverted (0.3%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 8 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 3,831 total flights analyzed, the 76.5% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 78.9-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 90% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at 43% on-time — a 46-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the ORD to LNK route, the combination of a 76.5% on-time rate, 78.9-minute average delay, 1.5% recent cancellation rate, and 8 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.