Syracuse to Chicago

What the Data Says About SYR to ORD

The Syracuse to Chicago corridor (SYR → ORD) covers roughly 607 miles and is served by 37 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 8,888 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 81.8% on-time rate with an average delay of 79.4 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 3,682 flights were recorded on this pairing — 62 cancelled (1.7%) and 12 diverted (0.3%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 37 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 8,888 total flights analyzed, the 81.8% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 79.4-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, Feb 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 91% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at 57% on-time — a 34-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the SYR to ORD route, the combination of a 81.8% on-time rate, 79.4-minute average delay, 1.7% recent cancellation rate, and 37 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.