Palm Springs to Chicago

What the Data Says About PSP to ORD

The Palm Springs to Chicago corridor (PSP → ORD) covers roughly 1,651 miles and is served by 8 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 2,938 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 83.5% on-time rate with an average delay of 96.8 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 1,818 flights were recorded on this pairing — 13 cancelled (0.7%) and 6 diverted (0.3%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 8 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 2,938 total flights analyzed, the 83.5% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 96.8-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, Feb 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 93% on-time, while May 2024 came in at 66% on-time — a 28-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the PSP to ORD route, the combination of a 83.5% on-time rate, 96.8-minute average delay, 0.7% recent cancellation rate, and 8 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.