PlainFlights

Route · STL → ORD · 2020–2025 BTS data

St. Louis to Chicago

According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), STL to ORD (St. Louis to Chicago) ranks #735 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).

Data updated 2026-06-13

80.8%
On-time
+1.8 pts
vs US avg
99 min
Delay when late
13,549
Flights
#735 of 4927
Corpus placement

Cancelled

1.6%

Best Month

Mar 2024 85%

Worst Month

Jul 2025 62%

Distance

258 mi

Carriers

37

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of route data.

Period Flights Delayed Cancelled Diverted Carriers
Dec 2025 240 87 7 0 YX,AA,MQ,UA,OO
Nov 2025 241 73 11 1 OO,UA,MQ,AA,YX
Oct 2025 274 81 0 0 AA,OO,UA,YX,MQ
Sep 2025 239 45 2 0 MQ,UA,OO,YX,AA
Aug 2025 255 76 10 0 AA,OO,YX,MQ,UA
Jul 2025 289 110 5 0 AA,OO,UA,YX,MQ
Jun 2025 294 85 3 0 AA,OO,UA,YX,MQ
May 2025 284 59 3 0 AA,OO,UA,YX,MQ
Apr 2025 264 56 4 0 MQ,OO,UA,YX,AA
Mar 2025 228 50 5 1 AA,YX,OO,UA,MQ
Feb 2025 164 29 3 0 AA,OO,UA,YX,MQ
Jan 2025 150 31 8 0 AA,OO,UA,YX,MQ
Dec 2024 175 34 1 0 AA,MQ,OO,UA,YX
Nov 2024 209 50 0 0 OO,YX,UA,MQ,AA
Oct 2024 247 37 0 0 UA,MQ,OO,YX,AA
Sep 2024 221 44 1 0 YX,OO,UA,AA,MQ
Aug 2024 251 74 1 0 AA,MQ,OO,UA
Jul 2024 238 80 1 0 AA,MQ,OO,UA,YX
Jun 2024 235 64 2 0 AA,MQ,OO,UA,YX
May 2024 245 64 4 1 AA,MQ,YX,OO,UA
Apr 2024 259 49 0 0 AA,MQ,UA,YX
Mar 2024 204 30 0 0 AA,MQ,YX,OO,UA
Feb 2024 166 26 1 0 AA,MQ,OO,UA,YX
Jan 2024 172 53 16 0 AA,MQ,YX,OO,UA

STL–ORD seasonal on-time pattern

Best: March (85.6%) · weakest: July (74.2%)

70%75%80%85%90% JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec 79.8%

Strongest calendar month

March

85.6% on-time · ~189 flights/mo

Busiest calendar month

August

~218 flights/mo avg

Weakest calendar month

July

74.2% on-time · ~213 flights/mo

Cancellation Rate

1.6%

88 of 5,544 flights

Diversion Rate

0.1%

3 of 5,544 flights

Origin-hub reliability standing

Mid-pack among STL departures

From STL, this corridor sits with 45 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 51 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (5 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 1 below 75%). Destination: Chicago · fleet on-time rank #2834 of 4927.

What the Data Says About STL to ORD

13,549 tracked flights put the STL to ORD pairing (St. Louis to Chicago) at a 80.8% on-time rate, squarely in line with the wider network. Delays that do occur run 99.1 minutes on average. Across the 258-mile route and its 37 carriers, the trailing 24 months show 1.6% cancelled and 0.1% diverted (5,544 flights sampled).

The monthly split is wide on this route: Mar 2024 posted the strongest performance at 85% on-time, while Jul 2025 came in at just 62% - a 23-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.

On the multi-year calendar, STL–ORD peaks in March at 85.6% on-time while August carries the heaviest traffic (~218 flights per month) ; the softest month is July at 74.2%, a 11.4-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does STL to ORD rank among US routes by traffic?
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking, STL to ORD ranks #735 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1). That ordinal matches our busiest-routes listing (total_flights DESC). See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.
How often are flights delayed from STL to ORD?
Flights from St. Louis to Chicago have a 80.8% on-time rate based on 13,549 flights. The average delay is 99.1 minutes. The best recent month was Mar 2024 with 85% on-time.
What is the cancellation rate for STL to ORD?
Over the last 24 months, 1.6% of flights on this route were cancelled (88 of 5,544 flights) and 0.1% were diverted.
How far is the flight from STL to ORD?
The flight distance from St. Louis (STL) to Chicago (ORD) is approximately 258 miles. This route is served by 37 carriers.
When is the best time to fly from STL to ORD?
The best recent month for on-time performance was Mar 2024 (85% on-time). The worst was Jul 2025 (62% on-time). Consider booking during months with historically better performance.

Airports on this route

Data source

Data Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), On-Time Performance Data. Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods.

Using STL–ORD data

STL–ORD is mid-pack at 80.8% on-time; month and carrier mix move more than the corridor headline.

  • Compare STL and ORD airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. STL airport
  • If your dates flex, March (85.6% on-time) beats July (74.2%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
  • 4 other routes post a similar 80.8% on-time rate; compare before you commit to this pairing. Similar routes

On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers on this origin–destination pair, not any single flight or booking recommendation.

Data sourced from U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) On-Time Performance data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFlights

Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page aggregates this specific route's on-time performance and monthly trend, live from the dataset. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.