Baltimore to Chicago

What the Data Says About BWI to MDW

The Baltimore to Chicago corridor (BWI → MDW) covers roughly 611 miles and is served by 3 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 11,360 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 78.1% on-time rate with an average delay of 59.5 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 3,940 flights were recorded on this pairing — 52 cancelled (1.3%) and 9 diverted (0.2%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 3 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 11,360 total flights analyzed, the 78.1% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 59.5-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 93% on-time, while May 2024 came in at 60% on-time — a 33-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the BWI to MDW route, the combination of a 78.1% on-time rate, 59.5-minute average delay, 1.3% recent cancellation rate, and 3 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.