Midway (MDW) Flight Delays: Rate, Best Hours and Airlines
Midway (MDW) is covered here with a statistics page (it is not one of the 22 full guide airports): 23.2% of flights departing MDW arrived 15 or more minutes late across 235,201 flights, January 2023 to December 2025. Southwest Airlines operated 90.9% of those departures. The worst scheduled departure hours are 10 PM (42.6%) and 9 PM (39.0%); 5 AM is the best at 6.9%. 1.13% of scheduled MDW departures were cancelled in 2024 to 2025.
Delay window: January 2023 to December 2025. Cancellation window: 2024 to 2025. Last updated: 2026-10-01. Delayed means a flight arrived 15 or more minutes after its scheduled arrival, the BTS and DOT on-time standard. Cancelled and diverted flights are excluded from delay rates. Historical BTS figures are separate from DelayGuard's per-flight model probability and from live FAA, weather and ground-delay status.
Predict a MDW flight
Historical BTS on-time (15+ min) at MDW
Sample size: 235,201 flights, window: January 2023 to December 2025. Delay rate 23.2%. Cancellation rate 1.13% of 153,650 scheduled flights, 2024 to 2025.
Why MDW runs the way it does
Southwest Airlines flew 90.9% of MDW departures in the window, and its flights ran 23.2% late, in line with the airport as a whole. With one carrier that large, MDW's delay record largely follows how Southwest Airlines runs its schedule.
MDW delays peak in July (36.1%), June (30.8%) and May (24.9%) and are lowest in November (15.2%). That shape is consistent with the summer thunderstorm season, when convective weather builds through the afternoon and slows arrivals and departures.
Delays build through the day: 9.9% of flights scheduled before 8 AM ran late against 37.5% after 8 PM. That is the pattern BTS describes as late-arriving aircraft, where a previous flight with the same aircraft arriving late makes the next departure late.
Best and worst times to fly from MDW
MDW delay rate by scheduled departure hour (hours with 100+ flights)| Hour | Delayed 15+ min | Flights |
|---|
| 5 AM | 6.9% | 9,224 |
| 6 AM | 8.5% | 11,240 |
| 7 AM | 13.8% | 11,616 |
| 8 AM | 13.8% | 20,090 |
| 9 AM | 14.7% | 19,887 |
| 10 AM | 15.8% | 11,778 |
| 11 AM | 18.3% | 10,627 |
| 12 PM | 18.2% | 13,331 |
| 1 PM | 20.9% | 15,573 |
| 2 PM | 26.9% | 13,322 |
| 3 PM | 28.0% | 11,380 |
| 4 PM | 30.0% | 10,458 |
| 5 PM | 30.8% | 12,591 |
| 6 PM | 30.2% | 14,506 |
| 7 PM | 33.3% | 13,854 |
| 8 PM | 33.9% | 15,718 |
| 9 PM | 39.0% | 12,251 |
| 10 PM | 42.6% | 7,691 |
MDW delays and cancellations by month
MDW by month| Month | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled |
|---|
| Jan | 23.5% | 16,662 | 5.39% |
| Feb | 15.3% | 15,597 | 0.43% |
| Mar | 22.1% | 19,604 | 0.79% |
| Apr | 22.6% | 19,508 | 0.40% |
| May | 24.9% | 20,270 | 0.48% |
| Jun | 30.8% | 21,839 | 0.52% |
| Jul | 36.1% | 22,869 | 1.56% |
| Aug | 24.8% | 21,538 | 0.78% |
| Sep | 18.3% | 20,297 | 0.20% |
| Oct | 17.4% | 20,827 | 0.52% |
| Nov | 15.2% | 17,947 | 2.60% |
| Dec | 22.4% | 18,243 | 0.47% |
Airlines at MDW
Regional operators are reported separately from the airline brands they fly for.
Routes from MDW
Routes from MDW (500+ flights)| Route | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled | Link |
|---|
| MDW to ATL | 19.3% | 10,769 | 1.35% | Predict |
| MDW to DEN | 22.9% | 9,374 | 1.42% | Predict |
| MDW to PHX | 24.0% | 8,944 | 1.14% | Predict |
| MDW to LAS | 24.5% | 8,876 | 1.03% | Predict |
| MDW to MSP | 19.8% | 8,851 | 0.74% | Predict |
| MDW to MCO | 23.6% | 8,652 | 1.72% | Predict |
| MDW to LGA | 25.6% | 7,160 | 2.37% | Predict |
| MDW to DAL | 22.2% | 6,674 | 1.57% | Predict |
| MDW to MCI | 20.7% | 6,641 | 1.35% | Predict |
| MDW to DCA | 23.3% | 6,199 | 1.71% | Predict |
| MDW to DTW | 20.6% | 6,112 | 0.92% | Predict |
| MDW to BNA | 17.9% | 5,939 | 1.03% | Predict |
| MDW to BWI | 21.8% | 5,790 | 1.58% | Predict |
| MDW to STL | 17.8% | 5,782 | 1.16% | Predict |
| MDW to TPA | 24.0% | 5,354 | 1.91% | Predict |
O'Hare (ORD) full delay guide
Questions
- How often are flights delayed at MDW?
- 23.2% of flights departing MDW arrived 15 or more minutes late across 235,201 flights, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS). Across all US domestic flights in the data, the rate is 21.2%.
- What is the best time to fly from MDW?
- Early departures run best. 5 AM flights ran 6.9% late (9,224 flights), 6 AM flights ran 8.5% late (11,240 flights) and 8 AM flights ran 13.8% late (20,090 flights). The worst hours are 10 PM (42.6%), 9 PM (39.0%) and 8 PM (33.9%).
- Which month is worst for delays at MDW?
- July has the highest delay rate at 36.1%. November is the lowest at 15.2%.
- Which airline has the best on-time record at MDW?
- Among carriers still flying with at least 5,000 flights from MDW, SkyWest Airlines has the lowest delay rate at 17.4% (5,174 flights). Frontier Airlines is highest at 30.0%. Regional operators such as SkyWest are reported separately from the airline brands they fly for.
- How often are MDW flights cancelled?
- 1.13% of 153,650 scheduled departures from MDW were cancelled in 2024 to 2025. The US figure over the same period is 1.41%. See the full ranking on the cancellation rates page.
- Does DelayGuard show live delays at MDW?
- The predictor covers MDW flights with a model probability that combines history, weather and FAA data. This page shows historical BTS figures only.
- Is MDW better than nearby airports?
- Compare MDW with ORD (24.3%) on the Chicago: ORD vs MDW compared page. Those are the delay rates for flights departing each airport over the same window.