Omaha to Chicago

What the Data Says About OMA to MDW

The Omaha to Chicago corridor (OMA → MDW) covers roughly 423 miles and is served by 1 carrier, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 7,978 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 85.7% on-time rate with an average delay of 59.6 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 2,832 flights were recorded on this pairing — 36 cancelled (1.3%) and 7 diverted (0.2%). 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 7,978 total flights analyzed, the 85.7% 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, Nov 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 95% on-time, while May 2024 came in at 70% on-time — a 25-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the OMA to MDW route, the combination of a 85.7% on-time rate, 59.6-minute average delay, 1.3% recent cancellation rate, and 1 available carrier is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.