Chicago to Memphis

What the Data Says About ORD to MEM

The Chicago to Memphis corridor (ORD → MEM) covers roughly 491 miles and is served by 30 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 9,631 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 78.9% on-time rate with an average delay of 66.3 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 3,828 flights were recorded on this pairing — 57 cancelled (1.5%) and 7 diverted (0.2%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 30 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 9,631 total flights analyzed, the 78.9% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 66.3-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 88% on-time, while May 2024 came in at 59% on-time — a 29-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the ORD to MEM route, the combination of a 78.9% on-time rate, 66.3-minute average delay, 1.5% recent cancellation rate, and 30 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.