Route · MDW → SFO · 2020–2025 BTS data
Chicago to San Francisco
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), MDW to SFO (Chicago to San Francisco) ranks #4234 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 73.1%
- On-time
- -5.9 pts
- vs US avg
- 63 min
- Delay when late
- 1,381
- Flights
- #4234 of 4927
- Corpus placement
Cancelled
1.0%
Best Month
Jul 2024 65%
Worst Month
Jun 2024 43%
Distance
1,855 mi
Carriers
3
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of route data.
| Period | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 31 | 14 | 0 | 0 | WN |
| Nov 2025 | 30 | 8 | 1 | 0 | WN |
| Oct 2025 | 31 | 13 | 0 | 1 | WN |
| Sep 2025 | 30 | 6 | 0 | 0 | WN |
| Aug 2025 | 31 | 6 | 0 | 0 | WN |
| Jul 2025 | 31 | 12 | 1 | 0 | WN |
| Jun 2025 | 30 | 12 | 0 | 0 | WN |
| May 2025 | 31 | 6 | 0 | 0 | WN |
| Apr 2025 | 30 | 9 | 0 | 0 | WN |
| Dec 2024 | 31 | 7 | 0 | 0 | WN |
| Nov 2024 | 30 | 12 | 0 | 0 | WN |
| Oct 2024 | 43 | 8 | 0 | 0 | WN |
| Sep 2024 | 43 | 11 | 0 | 1 | WN |
| Aug 2024 | 52 | 26 | 0 | 0 | F9,WN |
| Jul 2024 | 71 | 25 | 1 | 0 | F9,WN |
| Jun 2024 | 63 | 36 | 1 | 0 | F9,WN |
| Dec 2023 | 31 | 15 | 1 | 0 | F9 |
| Nov 2023 | 30 | 7 | 0 | 1 | F9 |
| Oct 2023 | 32 | 10 | 0 | 0 | F9,WN |
| Sep 2023 | 34 | 9 | 0 | 0 | F9,WN |
| Aug 2023 | 35 | 13 | 2 | 1 | F9,WN |
| Jul 2023 | 34 | 17 | 2 | 0 | F9,WN |
| Jun 2023 | 30 | 16 | 0 | 0 | F9 |
| Dec 2021 | 31 | 16 | 0 | 0 | WN |
MDW–SFO seasonal on-time pattern
Best: February (94.0%) · weakest: June (48.0%)
Strongest calendar month
February
94.0% on-time · ~50 flights/mo
Busiest calendar month
January
~56 flights/mo avg
Weakest calendar month
June
48.0% on-time · ~41 flights/mo
Cancellation Rate
1.0%
9 of 865 flights
Diversion Rate
0.5%
4 of 865 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 profileSFO - San Francisco
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for San Francisco, CA.
SFO on-time profileCompare the two airports
See MDW and SFO side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.
Compare MDW vs SFOOrigin-hub reliability standing
Softer reliability from MDW
Among 69 routes leaving MDW, only 18 (including this one) clear below 75% on-time, while 0 stay ≥85% and 51 sit mid-band. Travelers comparing MDW options should weigh this 73.1% print against those peers · fleet on-time rank #4677 of 4927.
Similar routes
Other BTS-tracked routes with comparable performance or trip length to MDW–SFO.
Routes with a similar on-time rate
What the Data Says About MDW to SFO
On-time performance on the MDW to SFO pairing (Chicago to San Francisco) trails a chunk of the network: 73.1% of 1,381 tracked flights arrived on schedule, with a 63.0-minute average delay on the ones that ran late. The route spans about 1,855 miles across 3 carriers. Cancellations over the trailing 24 months hit 1.0% (9 of 865 flights), with 0.5% diverted.
The monthly split is wide on this route: Jul 2024 posted the strongest performance at 65% on-time, while Jun 2024 came in at just 43% - a 22-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.
On the multi-year calendar, MDW–SFO peaks in February at 94.0% on-time while January carries the heaviest traffic (~56 flights per month) ; the softest month is June at 48.0%, a 46.0-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does MDW to SFO rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
How often are flights delayed from MDW to SFO? ▼
What is the cancellation rate for MDW to SFO? ▼
How far is the flight from MDW to SFO? ▼
When is the best time to fly from MDW to SFO? ▼
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–SFO data
MDW–SFO sits 5.9 pts below the national 79% average; check the seasonal chart and airport profiles before treating the headline as typical.
- Compare MDW and SFO airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. MDW airport
- If your dates flex, February (94.0% on-time) beats June (48.0%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
- 4 other routes post a similar 73.1% 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.