Denver to Chicago

What the Data Says About DEN to MDW

The Denver to Chicago corridor (DEN → MDW) covers roughly 895 miles and is served by 3 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 17,568 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 76.2% on-time rate with an average delay of 57.1 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 5,881 flights were recorded on this pairing — 88 cancelled (1.5%) and 21 diverted (0.4%). 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 17,568 total flights analyzed, the 76.2% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 57.1-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, Dec 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 87% on-time, while Jun 2025 came in at 58% on-time — a 29-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the DEN to MDW route, the combination of a 76.2% on-time rate, 57.1-minute average delay, 1.5% recent cancellation rate, and 3 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.