Dallas to Chicago

What the Data Says About DAL to MDW

The Dallas to Chicago corridor (DAL → MDW) covers roughly 793 miles and is served by 1 carrier, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 13,422 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 78.5% on-time rate with an average delay of 59.6 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 4,437 flights were recorded on this pairing — 68 cancelled (1.5%) and 19 diverted (0.4%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 1 carrier on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 13,422 total flights analyzed, the 78.5% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 59.6-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 90% on-time, while May 2024 came in at 64% on-time — a 26-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the DAL to MDW route, the combination of a 78.5% on-time rate, 59.6-minute average delay, 1.5% recent cancellation rate, and 1 available carrier is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.