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Airport · 12 months to July 2026
Chicago Midway International: delays and on-time record
Chicago, Illinois
BTS: A flight is counted as on time if it arrived less than 15 minutes after its scheduled time. Only carriers with at least 0.5 percent of domestic scheduled passenger revenue report. Data through July 2026; this is a monthly history, not live airport status.
Reporting carriers scheduled 73,744 domestic departures from Chicago Midway International (MDW), Chicago, in the 12 months to July 2026: about 202 a day to 87 destinations.
70.7% of those flights left the gate less than 15 minutes late, 5.4 points below the national departure figure of 76.1%. Flights arriving at MDW were on time 75.7% of the time, level with the national arrival figure of 76.0%.
1.5% of scheduled departures were cancelled (national: 1.8%), and the average departure delay, counting early and on-time departures as zero, was 16.5 min.
Southwest Airlines is the largest reporting carrier at MDW with 94% of departures. Among carriers with at least 737 departures, Delta Air Lines had the highest on-time arrival share for its MDW departures (84.5%) and Frontier Airlines the lowest (72.2%).
On-time departures are down 6.1 points on the previous 12 months (76.8%).
Of the delay minutes that carriers assigned to a BTS cause category for flights leaving MDW, late-arriving aircraft 42%, air carrier 33% and national aviation system 20%.
- On time 73.9%
- Arrived 15+ minutes late 24.2%
- Cancelled 1.5%
- Diverted 0.3%
As origin and as destination, against the nation
| Measure | Departures from MDW | Arrivals at MDW | All reported flights | MDW departures, previous 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Departed on time (less than 15 min late) | 70.7% | 72.0% | 76.1% | 76.8% |
| Arrived on time | 73.9% | 75.7% | 76.0% | 78.9% |
| Cancelled | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1.8% | 0.8% |
| Diverted | 0.3% | 0.6% | 0.3% | 0.2% |
| Average departure delay (late minutes only) | 16.5 min | 15.8 min | 17.4 min | 13.9 min |
| Arrival delay minutes per 100 flights | 1,483 | 1,360 | 1,684 | 1,259 |
| Scheduled flights | 73,744 | 73,756 | 7,043,858 | 75,575 |
12 months to July 2026. The first column follows flights that left MDW; the second follows flights that landed there. Year on year, on-time departures moved −6.1 pts.
Airlines at MDW
| Reporting carrier | Flights | Share | On time | Avg arrival delay | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WN Southwest Airlines | 69,305 | 94% | 73.7% | 8.1 min | 1.5% |
| F9 Frontier Airlines | 1,748 | 2% | 72.2% | 10.8 min | 2.2% |
| DL Delta Air Lines | 1,362 | 2% | 84.5% | -3.4 min | 2.8% |
| OO SkyWest Airlines | 1,007 | 1% | 78.9% | 6.5 min | 1.3% |
| G4 Allegiant Air | 322 | 0% | 70.8% | 33.6 min | 0.3% |
Departures from MDW by reporting carrier, ordered by flights; on time means the flight reached its destination less than 15 minutes late. Green is at or above the airport's overall share of 73.9%. Carriers fly different routes at different hours, so the rows are not a like-for-like test.
Busiest routes from MDW
| Route | Cities | Flights | On time | Avg arrival delay | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MDW–ATL | Chicago to Atlanta | 3,527 | 77.5% | 3.4 min | 2.1% |
| MDW–MCO | Chicago to Orlando | 2,756 | 74.3% | 8.3 min | 1.5% |
| MDW–PHX | Chicago to Phoenix | 2,738 | 74.2% | 7.6 min | 1.6% |
| MDW–LGA | Chicago to New York | 2,385 | 65.3% | 14.1 min | 4.2% |
| MDW–MSP | Chicago to Minneapolis | 2,368 | 75.5% | 7.6 min | 1.8% |
| MDW–LAS | Chicago to Las Vegas | 2,273 | 75.8% | 6.2 min | 0.8% |
| MDW–DEN | Chicago to Denver | 2,271 | 73.1% | 9.5 min | 1.3% |
| MDW–DAL | Chicago to Dallas | 2,185 | 75.5% | 5.5 min | 2.0% |
| MDW–MCI | Chicago to Kansas City | 2,102 | 77.5% | 6.1 min | 1.4% |
| MDW–DCA | Chicago to Washington | 2,100 | 68.0% | 11.6 min | 1.9% |
| MDW–BNA | Chicago to Nashville | 1,869 | 78.4% | 5.3 min | 1.4% |
| MDW–BWI | Chicago to Baltimore | 1,857 | 76.5% | 6.3 min | 2.7% |
| MDW–HOU | Chicago to Houston | 1,857 | 73.2% | 6.4 min | 1.2% |
| MDW–STL | Chicago to St. Louis | 1,708 | 80.9% | 2.0 min | 1.3% |
| MDW–TPA | Chicago to Tampa | 1,581 | 76.5% | 6.9 min | 1.4% |
| MDW–PHL | Chicago to Philadelphia | 1,522 | 74.6% | 9.4 min | 1.7% |
| MDW–BOS | Chicago to Boston | 1,360 | 66.0% | 16.4 min | 1.2% |
| MDW–AUS | Chicago to Austin | 1,357 | 76.3% | 3.9 min | 1.0% |
| MDW–OMA | Chicago to Omaha | 1,326 | 74.5% | 8.2 min | 1.1% |
| MDW–LAX | Chicago to Los Angeles | 1,298 | 68.4% | 11.2 min | 0.9% |
| MDW–DTW | Chicago to Detroit | 1,254 | 75.4% | 6.9 min | 1.7% |
| MDW–CMH | Chicago to Columbus | 1,235 | 80.0% | 2.3 min | 1.7% |
| MDW–RSW | Chicago to Fort Myers | 1,162 | 73.8% | 8.2 min | 1.5% |
| MDW–FLL | Chicago to Fort Lauderdale | 1,123 | 72.7% | 9.8 min | 1.6% |
| MDW–PIT | Chicago to Pittsburgh | 1,116 | 79.9% | 3.1 min | 1.4% |
| MDW–CLE | Chicago to Cleveland | 1,109 | 79.3% | 4.7 min | 1.4% |
| MDW–SAN | Chicago to San Diego | 1,092 | 71.0% | 8.5 min | 1.4% |
| MDW–MSY | Chicago to New Orleans | 1,013 | 74.5% | 5.3 min | 1.5% |
| MDW–SDF | Chicago to Louisville | 978 | 81.8% | 1.1 min | 1.5% |
| MDW–RDU | Chicago to Raleigh/Durham | 960 | 79.1% | 5.5 min | 2.1% |
| MDW–GRR | Chicago to Grand Rapids | 931 | 74.4% | 9.1 min | 0.9% |
| MDW–BUF | Chicago to Buffalo | 824 | 72.7% | 10.0 min | 1.5% |
| MDW–BDL | Chicago to Hartford | 823 | 75.2% | 9.4 min | 1.6% |
| MDW–PVD | Chicago to Providence | 779 | 75.7% | 8.4 min | 1.4% |
| MDW–IND | Chicago to Indianapolis | 732 | 82.0% | -0.3 min | 1.4% |
| MDW–ALB | Chicago to Albany | 728 | 69.9% | 12.7 min | 1.0% |
| MDW–CLT | Chicago to Charlotte | 719 | 73.2% | 8.7 min | 1.4% |
| MDW–PDX | Chicago to Portland | 683 | 60.9% | 17.9 min | 1.0% |
| MDW–SEA | Chicago to Seattle | 678 | 63.0% | 16.1 min | 0.6% |
| MDW–SMF | Chicago to Sacramento | 675 | 68.1% | 14.5 min | 0.9% |
| MDW–MEM | Chicago to Memphis | 670 | 78.5% | 5.0 min | 1.5% |
| MDW–SAT | Chicago to San Antonio | 661 | 76.2% | 5.1 min | 1.2% |
| MDW–SLC | Chicago to Salt Lake City | 619 | 68.5% | 8.2 min | 1.9% |
| MDW–ORF | Chicago to Norfolk | 578 | 73.9% | 10.3 min | 0.9% |
| MDW–OKC | Chicago to Oklahoma City | 559 | 73.3% | 8.9 min | 1.8% |
| MDW–CVG | Chicago to Cincinnati | 538 | 72.3% | 8.4 min | 2.0% |
| MDW–MHT | Chicago to Manchester | 522 | 73.2% | 10.7 min | 1.0% |
| MDW–SRQ | Chicago to Sarasota/Bradenton | 520 | 72.9% | 7.7 min | 1.3% |
| MDW–SJC | Chicago to San Jose | 519 | 67.6% | 11.2 min | 1.5% |
| MDW–OAK | Chicago to Oakland | 505 | 63.2% | 16.2 min | 1.4% |
| MDW–MIA | Chicago to Miami | 503 | 71.6% | 10.5 min | 1.2% |
| MDW–ROC | Chicago to Rochester | 496 | 64.9% | 16.1 min | 2.0% |
| MDW–SFO | Chicago to San Francisco | 485 | 47.4% | 26.8 min | 1.2% |
| MDW–BHM | Chicago to Birmingham | 458 | 76.2% | 5.2 min | 1.1% |
| MDW–TUL | Chicago to Tulsa | 451 | 75.2% | 9.3 min | 1.6% |
| MDW–ABQ | Chicago to Albuquerque | 449 | 78.8% | 4.2 min | 0.4% |
| MDW–JAX | Chicago to Jacksonville | 416 | 72.1% | 9.1 min | 1.0% |
| MDW–RIC | Chicago to Richmond | 413 | 70.9% | 8.9 min | 1.0% |
| MDW–SAV | Chicago to Savannah | 389 | 76.6% | 5.8 min | 0.8% |
| MDW–CHS | Chicago to Charleston | 367 | 73.3% | 9.1 min | 1.4% |
| MDW–ONT | Chicago to Ontario | 360 | 69.4% | 11.6 min | 1.1% |
| MDW–MYR | Chicago to Myrtle Beach | 333 | 75.1% | 7.6 min | 1.5% |
| MDW–BUR | Chicago to Burbank | 322 | 79.8% | 3.4 min | 0.6% |
| MDW–MKE | Chicago to Milwaukee | 298 | 67.1% | 16.7 min | 3.0% |
| MDW–DFW | Chicago to Dallas/Fort Worth | 291 | 67.0% | 22.1 min | 2.1% |
| MDW–DSM | Chicago to Des Moines | 290 | 70.7% | 11.1 min | 1.4% |
| MDW–ICT | Chicago to Wichita | 290 | 69.7% | 8.2 min | 0.3% |
| MDW–TUS | Chicago to Tucson | 286 | 83.9% | -0.2 min | 0.3% |
| MDW–LGB | Chicago to Long Beach | 284 | 74.3% | 6.5 min | 1.8% |
| MDW–ELP | Chicago to El Paso | 211 | 79.6% | 5.8 min | 0.5% |
| MDW–COS | Chicago to Colorado Springs | 189 | 72.5% | 6.8 min | 0.5% |
| MDW–ECP | Chicago to Panama City | 168 | 86.3% | -0.9 min | 0.6% |
| MDW–PWM | Chicago to Portland | 151 | 77.5% | 8.5 min | 0.7% |
| MDW–PNS | Chicago to Pensacola | 124 | 86.3% | -4.9 min | 0.8% |
| MDW–BZN | Chicago to Bozeman | 120 | 70.0% | 10.1 min | 0.0% |
The 75 busiest of 87 routes with reported flights. Routes with at least 10 flights a month have their own page.
Month by month
By scheduled departure hour
Among hours with at least 1,475 departures, 5 am to 6 am had the highest on-time share (92.7% of 2,387 flights) and 9 pm to 10 pm the lowest (46.6% of 4,472).
Delay causes
Cancellations by reported reason (1,139 in the period): air carrier 17%, weather 71%, national aviation system 13%, security 0%.
Checkpoint volumes
TSA publishes daily checkpoint passenger counts for the country as a whole, not for MDW on its own. The national series through September 2026 is on the checkpoint volumes page.
Questions and answers
How often do flights leave MDW on time?
70.7% of the 73,744 scheduled domestic departures in the 12 months to July 2026 left less than 15 minutes late; the national figure was 76.1%. 1.5% were cancelled.
How often do flights arrive at MDW on time?
75.7% of 73,756 scheduled arrivals were on time by the BTS definition, against 76.0% nationally.
Which airline has the highest on-time share at MDW?
Counting departures from MDW and whether they reached their destination on time, Delta Air Lines had the highest share (84.5% of 1,362 flights), then SkyWest Airlines (78.9%) and Southwest Airlines (73.7%). Carriers fly different routes at different hours, so the figures are not a like-for-like test.
What causes delays at MDW?
For departures from MDW that reached their destination 15 or more minutes late, carriers attributed the delay minutes as follows: late-arriving aircraft 42%, air carrier 33%, national aviation system 20%, extreme weather 4%, security 1%.
What time of day has the highest on-time share at MDW?
Departures scheduled from 5 am to 6 am local time left on time 92.7% of the time, the highest of any hour with enough flights to compare; 9 pm to 10 pm was lowest at 46.6%.
Is it getting better?
On-time departures for the 12 months to July 2026 were 70.7%, down 6.1 points on the previous 12 months (76.8%). The monthly chart shows each of the last 36 months, and each month has its own page.
Does this page show today's delays at MDW?
No. BTS publishes on-time records about two months after the month ends, so this page is a monthly history through July 2026. For live conditions use the FAA airport status service or your airline.
Provenance
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Reporting Carrier On-Time Performance (1987 to present), monthly files August 2023 to July 2026; airport name from the BTS airport lookup table. US government works in the public domain. Domestic scheduled flights by reporting carriers only: international flights, charters and smaller carriers are not in the source. Totals and averages only; no individual flight or aircraft is identified. See the methodology; report processing errors through corrections.