Route · ORD → MBS · 2020–2025 BTS data
Chicago to Saginaw/Bay City/Midland
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), ORD to MBS (Chicago to Saginaw/Bay City/Midland) ranks #3193 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 75.5%
- On-time
- -3.5 pts
- vs US avg
- 77 min
- Delay when late
- 3,290
- Flights
- #3193 of 4927
- Corpus placement
Cancelled
1.9%
Best Month
Feb 2024 91%
Worst Month
Dec 2025 55%
Distance
222 mi
Carriers
1
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of route data.
| Period | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 77 | 35 | 5 | 1 | OO |
| Nov 2025 | 88 | 25 | 6 | 0 | OO |
| Oct 2025 | 93 | 21 | 0 | 0 | OO |
| Sep 2025 | 90 | 18 | 1 | 0 | OO |
| Aug 2025 | 93 | 23 | 1 | 1 | OO |
| Jul 2025 | 92 | 32 | 2 | 1 | OO |
| Jun 2025 | 90 | 25 | 0 | 0 | OO |
| May 2025 | 93 | 15 | 0 | 1 | OO |
| Apr 2025 | 90 | 10 | 1 | 0 | OO |
| Mar 2025 | 93 | 41 | 1 | 0 | OO |
| Feb 2025 | 82 | 29 | 2 | 0 | OO |
| Jan 2025 | 89 | 36 | 1 | 0 | OO |
| Dec 2024 | 90 | 28 | 1 | 0 | OO |
| Nov 2024 | 88 | 26 | 1 | 0 | OO |
| Oct 2024 | 93 | 19 | 0 | 0 | OO |
| Sep 2024 | 90 | 23 | 0 | 0 | OO |
| Aug 2024 | 93 | 30 | 1 | 0 | OO |
| Jul 2024 | 93 | 27 | 1 | 0 | OO |
| Jun 2024 | 90 | 17 | 3 | 0 | OO |
| May 2024 | 91 | 35 | 1 | 0 | OO |
| Apr 2024 | 82 | 12 | 0 | 0 | OO |
| Mar 2024 | 84 | 15 | 0 | 0 | OO |
| Feb 2024 | 81 | 7 | 0 | 0 | OO |
| Jan 2024 | 82 | 31 | 13 | 0 | OO |
ORD–MBS seasonal on-time pattern
Best: April (85.8%) · weakest: January (65.3%)
Strongest calendar month
April
85.8% on-time · ~58 flights/mo
Busiest calendar month
October
~93 flights/mo avg
Weakest calendar month
January
65.3% on-time · ~86 flights/mo
Cancellation Rate
1.9%
41 of 2,127 flights
Diversion Rate
0.2%
4 of 2,127 flights
Explore origin & destination
On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.
ORD - Chicago
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Chicago, IL.
ORD on-time profileMBS - Saginaw/Bay City/Midland
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Saginaw/Bay City/Midland, MI.
MBS on-time profileCompare the two airports
See ORD and MBS side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.
Compare ORD vs MBSOrigin-hub reliability standing
Mid-pack among ORD departures
From ORD, this corridor sits with 147 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 168 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (10 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 11 below 75%). Destination: Saginaw/Bay City/Midland · fleet on-time rank #4394 of 4927.
Similar routes
Other BTS-tracked routes with comparable performance or trip length to ORD–MBS.
Routes with a similar on-time rate
What the Data Says About ORD to MBS
The Chicago to Saginaw/Bay City/Midland corridor (ORD to MBS) posts a 75.5% on-time rate on the lower edge of the average band, based on 3,290 tracked flights. Late flights run 76.9 minutes behind on average. 1 carrier cover the 222-mile route; over the last 24 months, 41 of 2,127 flights were cancelled (1.9%) and 0.2% diverted.
The monthly split is wide on this route: Feb 2024 posted the strongest performance at 91% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at just 55% - a 37-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.
On the multi-year calendar, ORD–MBS peaks in April at 85.8% on-time while October carries the heaviest traffic (~93 flights per month) ; the softest month is January at 65.3%, a 20.5-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does ORD to MBS rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
How often are flights delayed from ORD to MBS? ▼
What is the cancellation rate for ORD to MBS? ▼
How far is the flight from ORD to MBS? ▼
When is the best time to fly from ORD to MBS? ▼
Airports on this route
Data source
Data Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), On-Time Performance Data. Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Using ORD–MBS data
ORD–MBS is mid-pack at 75.5% on-time; month and carrier mix move more than the corridor headline.
- Compare ORD and MBS airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. ORD airport
- If your dates flex, April (85.8% on-time) beats January (65.3%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
- 4 other routes post a similar 75.5% on-time rate; compare before you commit to this pairing. Similar routes
On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers on this origin–destination pair, not any single flight or booking recommendation.
Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page aggregates this specific route's on-time performance and monthly trend, live from the dataset. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.