Atlanta to Chicago

What the Data Says About ATL to MDW

The Atlanta to Chicago corridor (ATL → MDW) covers roughly 591 miles and is served by 14 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 19,666 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 81.1% on-time rate with an average delay of 66.3 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 7,383 flights were recorded on this pairing — 89 cancelled (1.2%) and 29 diverted (0.4%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 14 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 19,666 total flights analyzed, the 81.1% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 66.3-minute average delay applies only to flights that actually ran late, so it is not the average wait across all departures — the majority of flights on this route depart on time under the BTS definition of a delay (15+ minutes past schedule).

Looking at recent months, Feb 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 91% on-time, while Jul 2025 came in at 67% on-time — a 24-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the ATL to MDW route, the combination of a 81.1% on-time rate, 66.3-minute average delay, 1.2% recent cancellation rate, and 14 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.