Boston to Chicago flights
about 177 flights a week across 30 operators, most often on the Boeing 737 (all variants). Below: the aircraft mix, and what the safety record and the turbulence model say for this route.
Route FAQ
How long does the flight from Boston to Chicago take?
Flight time from Boston (BOS) to Chicago (ORD) depends on routing, aircraft type, and whether the flight is direct or connecting. A direct flight typically reflects great-circle distance plus winds, while one-stop options can add several hours depending on the layover airport. The typical block time and frequency we have observed for this route are shown above.
Which airlines fly from Boston to Chicago?
Airline availability for BOS to ORD changes by season and sometimes week to week as carriers adjust capacity. The airlines and aircraft types observed operating this route, both direct and connecting, are listed below based on real flight-tracking data.
Are there direct flights from Boston to Chicago?
Direct (nonstop) availability on BOS to ORD varies by date, day of week, and season. Busy city pairs usually have multiple daily nonstops, while thinner routes may only have direct service a few days per week or only during peak seasons.
No fatal or serious occurrence recorded and attributed to operators on this pair in the last 90 days.
- United Airlines5-yr attributed events: 58Last 90 days: none recorded
- Delta Air Lines5-yr attributed events: 52Last 90 days: none recorded
- SkyWest5-yr attributed events: 5Last 90 days: none recorded
- ENY5-yr: no attributed events (coverage limited)Last 90 days: none recorded
- JetBlue Airways5-yr attributed events: 13Last 90 days: none recorded
| Carrier | Sightings / 90d | Safety events |
|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 9 sightings | No recorded events |
| Delta Air Lines | 3 sightings | No recorded events |
| SkyWest | 2 sightings | No recorded events |
| ENY | 2 sightings | No recorded events |
| JetBlue Airways | 1 sighting | No recorded events |
Flight patterns on BOS → ORD
We observed 2275 flights on this route over the last 90 days (about 176.9 per week) across 30 airlines.
Departures cluster around 16:00–17:00 UTC, 12:00–13:00 UTC, 19:00–20:00 UTC, busiest on Tuesday and Monday.
On-time performance: 22.1% of departures left within 15 minutes of schedule (average delay 93 min, based on 683 timed flights).
Historically, 77.4% of flights on BOS → ORD arrived within 15 minutes of schedule (average arrival delay 7 min; 3.8% cancelled), across 189,711 flights from 1987–2025. Source: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS).
In 2025, 1,791,390 passengers flew between BOS and ORD (both directions) on 14,357 flights, led by UA. Source: U.S. DOT BTS T-100. US air traffic.
Carrier on-time performance (last 12 months)
| Carrier | On-time % | Avg delay | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 71.3% | 24 min | 5,158 |
| American Airlines | 66.9% | 27.9 min | 4,068 |
| Delta Air Lines | 66.6% | 27.1 min | 1,868 |
| Republic Airlines | 70.5% | 23.2 min | 1,655 |
| JetBlue Airways | 73.8% | 21.6 min | 1,043 |
| Envoy Air | 78.9% | 17.7 min | 869 |
On-time = arrival within 15 minutes of schedule, per U.S. DOT definitions. Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (public domain). Delay-cause attribution is reported by carriers since June 2003.
Planning BOS → ORD
BOS to ORD is a short-haul route of 1,391 km (864 mi). See the return ORD → BOS route.
Alternative airports near Boston: Norwood (OWD) — 23 km, Bedford (BED) — 26 km, Beverly (BVY) — 26 km.
Alternative airports near Chicago: Chicago-Wheeling (PWK) — 15 km, Chicago (MDW) — 25 km, Chicago (CGX) — 28 km.