O'Hare handles more flights than any airport on the planet, edging out Atlanta, Dubai and London Heathrow in total daily movements. Its route network is vast: 195 destinations inside the US and another 62 abroad. Yet there's one curious gap — no airline operates a nonstop flight from O'Hare to Delaware or Mississippi.

Mississippi's story is one of repeated attempts and quiet retreats. American Airlines tried Chicago–Jackson from 2006 to 2007 and Gulfport the following year, then came back in 2017 with a Meridian route that ended in 2020. United flew Chicago–Jackson from 2012 until 2020, and neither carrier returned after the pandemic shut things down. No one has filled the void since.

Delaware's absence is even more entrenched. The state has never had regular nonstop service to O'Hare — and neighbouring Midway doesn't fly there either. The reason is largely geography: Wilmington, Delaware's biggest city, sits less than an hour from Philadelphia International, and Baltimore's BWI, a major Southwest base, is also within easy driving range. Local air service has struggled for years, with big airlines pulling out of Wilmington until only Avelo remains, flying to Florida leisure spots like Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Tampa, plus San Juan, with seasonal routes to places such as Myrtle Beach and Daytona Beach.

At the other end of the connectivity scale, Florida tops O'Hare's domestic league by a mile — roughly 24,400 departures over a recent ten-month window, averaging about 81 flights a day — followed by New York State with just over 22,700. The thinnest links? New Hampshire, with fewer than two flights a day, and Hawaii, at around two daily.

For travellers, the practical takeaway is simple: if you're flying from Chicago to Mississippi, you'll need to connect somewhere — Atlanta, Dallas or Charlotte are the usual suspects — or consider driving from a nearby gateway. For Delaware, Philadelphia or Baltimore are far more sensible entry points than any Chicago routing. Either way, these routes are unlikely to return soon; airlines have already tried and bailed on Mississippi repeatedly, and Delaware's airports simply can't compete with the drive-to market next door.