Phoenix to Chicago

What the Data Says About PHX to ORD

The Phoenix to Chicago corridor (PHX → ORD) covers roughly 1,440 miles and is served by 32 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 31,100 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 83% on-time rate with an average delay of 74.4 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 11,505 flights were recorded on this pairing — 135 cancelled (1.2%) and 47 diverted (0.4%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 32 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 31,100 total flights analyzed, the 83% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 74.4-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, Nov 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 92% on-time, while Jul 2024 came in at 68% on-time — a 23-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the PHX to ORD route, the combination of a 83% on-time rate, 74.4-minute average delay, 1.2% recent cancellation rate, and 32 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.