Chicago to Milwaukee

What the Data Says About ORD to MKE

The Chicago to Milwaukee corridor (ORD → MKE) covers roughly 67 miles and is served by 15 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 13,040 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 74.5% on-time rate with an average delay of 81.9 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 6,849 flights were recorded on this pairing — 158 cancelled (2.3%) and 8 diverted (0.1%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 15 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 13,040 total flights analyzed, the 74.5% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 81.9-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, Feb 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 84% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at 55% on-time — a 29-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the ORD to MKE route, the combination of a 74.5% on-time rate, 81.9-minute average delay, 2.3% recent cancellation rate, and 15 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.