Chicago to Rapid City

What the Data Says About ORD to RAP

The Chicago to Rapid City corridor (ORD → RAP) covers roughly 780 miles and is served by 14 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 2,981 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 82.1% on-time rate with an average delay of 67.7 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 1,331 flights were recorded on this pairing — 16 cancelled (1.2%) and 7 diverted (0.5%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 14 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 2,981 total flights analyzed, the 82.1% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 67.7-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, Sep 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 90% on-time, while Jun 2025 came in at 67% on-time — a 23-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the ORD to RAP route, the combination of a 82.1% on-time rate, 67.7-minute average delay, 1.2% recent cancellation rate, and 14 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.