Route · MDW → SAN · 2020–2025 BTS data
Chicago to San Diego
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), MDW to SAN (Chicago to San Diego) ranks #1961 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 77.7%
- On-time
- -1.3 pts
- vs US avg
- 54 min
- Delay when late
- 6,395
- Flights
- #1961 of 4927
- Corpus placement
Cancelled
0.9%
Best Month
Aug 2024 86%
Worst Month
Jun 2024 65%
Distance
1,728 mi
Carriers
1
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of route data.
| Period | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 91 | 28 | 0 | 0 | WN |
| Nov 2025 | 86 | 19 | 3 | 0 | WN |
| Oct 2025 | 89 | 13 | 0 | 2 | WN |
| Sep 2025 | 86 | 21 | 0 | 1 | WN |
| Aug 2025 | 88 | 18 | 2 | 0 | WN |
| Jul 2025 | 93 | 24 | 1 | 0 | WN |
| Jun 2025 | 90 | 28 | 0 | 1 | WN |
| May 2025 | 86 | 20 | 0 | 0 | WN |
| Apr 2025 | 87 | 18 | 0 | 0 | WN |
| Mar 2025 | 88 | 16 | 0 | 0 | WN |
| Feb 2025 | 56 | 10 | 0 | 0 | WN |
| Jan 2025 | 64 | 12 | 0 | 1 | WN |
| Dec 2024 | 69 | 15 | 2 | 4 | WN |
| Nov 2024 | 75 | 13 | 1 | 0 | WN |
| Oct 2024 | 85 | 14 | 0 | 1 | WN |
| Sep 2024 | 103 | 18 | 0 | 0 | WN |
| Aug 2024 | 111 | 16 | 1 | 0 | WN |
| Jul 2024 | 104 | 33 | 1 | 1 | WN |
| Jun 2024 | 100 | 35 | 0 | 3 | WN |
| May 2024 | 78 | 25 | 1 | 1 | WN |
| Apr 2024 | 80 | 24 | 1 | 0 | WN |
| Mar 2024 | 89 | 23 | 0 | 0 | WN |
| Feb 2024 | 71 | 13 | 0 | 0 | WN |
| Jan 2024 | 78 | 13 | 5 | 0 | WN |
MDW–SAN seasonal on-time pattern
Best: November (84.3%) · weakest: June (64.8%)
Strongest calendar month
November
84.3% on-time · ~85 flights/mo
Busiest calendar month
August
~114 flights/mo avg
Weakest calendar month
June
64.8% on-time · ~98 flights/mo
Cancellation Rate
0.9%
18 of 2,047 flights
Diversion Rate
0.7%
15 of 2,047 flights
Explore origin & destination
On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.
MDW - Chicago
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Chicago, IL.
MDW on-time profileSAN - San Diego
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for San Diego, CA.
SAN on-time profileCompare the two airports
See MDW and SAN side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.
Compare MDW vs SANOrigin-hub reliability standing
Mid-pack among MDW departures
From MDW, this corridor sits with 51 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 69 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (0 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 18 below 75%). Destination: San Diego · fleet on-time rank #3925 of 4927.
Similar routes
Other BTS-tracked routes with comparable performance or trip length to MDW–SAN.
Routes with a similar on-time rate
What the Data Says About MDW to SAN
The Chicago to San Diego corridor (MDW to SAN) posts a 77.7% on-time rate on the lower edge of the average band, based on 6,395 tracked flights. Late flights run 53.9 minutes behind on average. 1 carrier cover the 1,728-mile route; over the last 24 months, 18 of 2,047 flights were cancelled (0.9%) and 0.7% diverted.
The monthly split is wide on this route: Aug 2024 posted the strongest performance at 86% on-time, while Jun 2024 came in at just 65% - a 21-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.
On the multi-year calendar, MDW–SAN peaks in November at 84.3% on-time while August carries the heaviest traffic (~114 flights per month) ; the softest month is June at 64.8%, a 19.5-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does MDW to SAN rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
How often are flights delayed from MDW to SAN? ▼
What is the cancellation rate for MDW to SAN? ▼
How far is the flight from MDW to SAN? ▼
When is the best time to fly from MDW to SAN? ▼
Airports on this route
Data source
Data Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), On-Time Performance Data. Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Using MDW–SAN data
MDW–SAN is mid-pack at 77.7% on-time; month and carrier mix move more than the corridor headline.
- Compare MDW and SAN airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. MDW airport
- If your dates flex, November (84.3% on-time) beats June (64.8%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
- 4 other routes post a similar 77.7% on-time rate; compare before you commit to this pairing. Similar routes
On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers on this origin–destination pair, not any single flight or booking recommendation.
Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page aggregates this specific route's on-time performance and monthly trend, live from the dataset. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.