Airport · MDW · Chicago, Illinois
Chicago, IL
Chicago, IL posts bottom-quartile on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a high-volume U.S. airport. According to the U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, drawn from 880,912 flights (2020–2025); its biggest delay driver is late aircraft.
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 78.4%
- On-time
- Top 89%
- on-time, US airports
- 59 min
- Delay when late
- 1.46%
- Cancelled
Key Performance Metrics
Total Flights
880,912
Best Month
Feb 91%
Worst Month
Jul 82%
Delayed
190,033
Cancelled
12,896
MDW on-time rate vs. the national average
Behind the U.S. average across all 382 tracked airports.
Where MDW sits among all 382 tracked airports
MDW's 78.4% on-time rate falls in the 75-80% band, the 48-airport band it shares.
National on-time-rate distribution
- 60-65% 1
1 airport between 60% and 65% on-time
1 airports
- 65-70% 4
4 airports between 65% and 70% on-time
4 airports
- 70-75% 9
9 airports between 70% and 75% on-time
9 airports
- 75-80% 48
48 airports between 75% and 80% on-time
48 airports
- 80-85%
192 airports between 80% and 85% on-time
192 airports
- 85-90%
116 airports between 85% and 90% on-time
116 airports
- 90-95% 12
12 airports between 90% and 95% on-time
12 airports
What this shows MDW is marked in the 75-80% band.
Delay Cause Breakdown
Top delay cause: Late Aircraft. Total delay minutes: 5,187,428.
MDW - seasonal on-time pattern
Best: February (91%) · worst: July (82%)
Seasonal Performance Patterns
Monthly averages across all years of data. Best month: February (91% on-time). Most delays: July (82% on-time).
| Month | Avg Flights | Avg Delayed | Avg Cancelled | On-Time % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December | 11,601 | 2,627 | 235 | 86.9% |
| November | 11,622 | 1,920 | 75 | 90.3% |
| October | 12,857 | 2,446 | 69 | 88.7% |
| September | 12,575 | 2,219 | 50 | 89.4% |
| August | 13,930 | 3,579 | 139 | 84.7% |
| July | 14,409 | 4,360 | 113 | 82% |
| June | 13,337 | 3,984 | 86 | 82.2% |
| May | 11,758 | 2,605 | 45 | 87.1% |
| April | 11,860 | 2,274 | 459 | 89% |
| March | 12,284 | 2,206 | 438 | 89.5% |
| February | 9,740 | 1,490 | 153 | 91% |
| January | 10,847 | 1,962 | 288 | 89.5% |
Year-Over-Year Performance
Annual flight volume and on-time trends at MDW.
MDW - on-time rate by year
2020–2025, year-over-year trend.
| Year | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | On-Time % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 148,035 | 17,892 | 799 | 87.9% |
| 2024 | 159,264 | 19,249 | 930 | 87.9% |
| 2023 | 170,188 | 22,881 | 1,203 | 86.6% |
| 2022 | 153,750 | 27,314 | 2,707 | 82.2% |
| 2021 | 128,948 | 19,275 | 1,625 | 85.1% |
| 2020 | 120,727 | 5,264 | 5,632 | 95.6% |
Cancellation & Diversion Analysis
Flight disruption statistics for Chicago, IL.
Cancellation Rate
1.46%
12,896 of 880,912 flights
Diversion Rate
0.12%
1,057 of 880,912 flights
Delay Rate
21.6%
190,033 of 880,912 flights
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of flight data.
| Period | Flights | Dep Delayed | Arr Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 11,474 | 1,822 | 1,541 | 26 | 7 |
| Nov 2025 | 11,242 | 1,101 | 988 | 279 | 8 |
| Oct 2025 | 13,070 | 1,437 | 1,191 | 11 | 16 |
| Sep 2025 | 12,921 | 1,172 | 919 | 4 | 15 |
| Aug 2025 | 13,465 | 1,742 | 1,372 | 50 | 28 |
| Jul 2025 | 15,063 | 2,699 | 2,012 | 136 | 25 |
| Jun 2025 | 14,371 | 2,373 | 1,706 | 46 | 31 |
| May 2025 | 12,255 | 1,457 | 1,222 | 18 | 23 |
| Apr 2025 | 12,101 | 1,093 | 935 | 33 | 12 |
| Mar 2025 | 12,211 | 1,268 | 1,004 | 57 | 18 |
| Feb 2025 | 9,485 | 782 | 739 | 33 | 6 |
| Jan 2025 | 10,377 | 946 | 847 | 106 | 3 |
| Dec 2024 | 11,898 | 1,456 | 1,121 | 29 | 23 |
| Nov 2024 | 11,803 | 873 | 689 | 20 | 3 |
| Oct 2024 | 13,488 | 1,012 | 786 | 58 | 7 |
| Sep 2024 | 13,697 | 1,143 | 835 | 22 | 16 |
| Aug 2024 | 14,400 | 1,849 | 1,372 | 59 | 17 |
| Jul 2024 | 15,768 | 2,739 | 2,020 | 104 | 39 |
| Jun 2024 | 15,074 | 2,532 | 1,807 | 30 | 35 |
| May 2024 | 13,945 | 2,406 | 1,890 | 45 | 41 |
| Apr 2024 | 13,580 | 1,491 | 1,218 | 18 | 13 |
| Mar 2024 | 13,370 | 1,605 | 1,249 | 44 | 13 |
| Feb 2024 | 10,473 | 704 | 606 | 10 | 6 |
| Jan 2024 | 11,768 | 1,439 | 1,200 | 491 | 10 |
Top Routes from MDW
Busiest routes to and from Chicago, IL.
Airports With a Similar On-Time Rate
Other U.S. airports nationwide whose on-time rate is closest to Chicago, IL's 78.4%.
Other Airports in Illinois
Compare performance with other Illinois airports.
Chicago, IL
Chicago · 3,114,086 flights
Moline, IL
Moline · 45,407 flights
Peoria, IL
Peoria · 44,104 flights
Bloomington/Normal, IL
Bloomington/Normal · 25,097 flights
Champaign/Urbana, IL
Champaign/Urbana · 17,865 flights
Belleville, IL
Belleville · 14,072 flights
Rockford, IL
Rockford · 9,512 flights
Decatur, IL
Decatur · 9,084 flights
Keep exploring
More flight data around Chicago, IL.
Illinois flight data
Statewide on-time and delay aggregates, plus every reporting airport in Illinois.
View IL data →Airport rankings
See where MDW sits among U.S. airports on on-time rate and average delay.
Best on-time airports →Compare airports
Put MDW head-to-head with another airport on delays and reliability.
Open comparison tool →What the Data Says About MDW
Chicago, IL in Chicago, Illinois handled 880,912 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 78.4% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 190,033 experienced delays, 12,896 were cancelled, and 1,057 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 1.46%, the diversion rate to 0.12%, and the average delay when departures run late is 59.1 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing MDW against other airports in the same state and nationally.
Breaking down what drives delays at MDW, Late Aircraft leads the pack. Late Aircraft accounts for 41.8% of total delay minutes, followed by Carrier at 38.5% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 16.2%. Weather contributes 3.3% of delay minutes at this airport, while security holds the smallest share at 0.2%. Travelers often overestimate the weather share; the BTS categorization shows late-arriving aircraft and carrier operations as the larger contributors.
Seasonally, February runs the cleanest at MDW with a 91% on-time rate, while July is the roughest at 82% - a 9-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in July, when average flights hit 14,409. The busiest route connecting MDW is to ATL (Atlanta), with 19,666 flights at a 81.1% on-time rate. Combine these numbers - 78.4% on-time, 59.1-minute average delay, 1.46% cancellation rate, and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Chicago, IL.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the on-time performance rate at Chicago, IL (MDW)? ▼
What is the most common cause of delays at MDW? ▼
What is the average delay time at MDW? ▼
What is the best month to fly from MDW? ▼
What is the worst month for delays at MDW? ▼
How many routes operate from MDW? ▼
What is the cancellation rate at MDW? ▼
Flight Guides
Data-driven guides to help you understand airport and flight performance.
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Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Using MDW's data
An airport-level on-time rate is a starting point, not a guarantee for your specific flight.
- Check the busiest route from MDW before you book a connection. See top routes
- Travel in February rather than July if your dates are flexible. Seasonal patterns
- Scores vary by airline and route within the same airport; check the specific carrier you're flying. Browse airlines
On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers at this airport, not any single flight or airline.
Related
Source: U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Airline on-time performance and operational reliability · 2025
Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. Airport figures are computed directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.