Phoenix to Chicago

What the Data Says About PHX to MDW

The Phoenix to Chicago corridor (PHX → MDW) covers roughly 1,444 miles and is served by 3 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 16,461 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 79.4% on-time rate with an average delay of 53.9 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 5,932 flights were recorded on this pairing — 49 cancelled (0.8%) and 30 diverted (0.5%). 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 16,461 total flights analyzed, the 79.4% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 53.9-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 90% on-time, while Jun 2025 came in at 73% on-time — a 17-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the PHX to MDW route, the combination of a 79.4% on-time rate, 53.9-minute average delay, 0.8% recent cancellation rate, and 3 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.