Chicago to Sarasota/Bradenton

What the Data Says About ORD to SRQ

The Chicago to Sarasota/Bradenton corridor (ORD → SRQ) covers roughly 1,050 miles and is served by 41 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 4,606 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 80.2% on-time rate with an average delay of 67.8 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 1,664 flights were recorded on this pairing — 22 cancelled (1.3%) and 6 diverted (0.4%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 41 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 4,606 total flights analyzed, the 80.2% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 67.8-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, May 2025 posted the best performance on this corridor at 86% on-time, while Jan 2024 came in at 66% on-time — a 20-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the ORD to SRQ route, the combination of a 80.2% on-time rate, 67.8-minute average delay, 1.3% recent cancellation rate, and 41 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.