Chicago to Denver

What the Data Says About MDW to DEN

The Chicago to Denver corridor (MDW → DEN) covers roughly 895 miles and is served by 3 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 17,682 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 79.2% on-time rate with an average delay of 63.3 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 5,931 flights were recorded on this pairing — 84 cancelled (1.4%) and 13 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 17,682 total flights analyzed, the 79.2% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 63.3-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, Nov 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 93% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at 59% on-time — a 34-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the MDW to DEN route, the combination of a 79.2% on-time rate, 63.3-minute average delay, 1.4% recent cancellation rate, and 3 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.