Sarasota/Bradenton to Chicago

What the Data Says About SRQ to MDW

The Sarasota/Bradenton to Chicago corridor (SRQ → MDW) covers roughly 1,035 miles and is served by 1 carrier, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 2,593 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 78.4% on-time rate with an average delay of 63.1 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 1,014 flights were recorded on this pairing — 16 cancelled (1.6%) and 5 diverted (0.5%). 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 2,593 total flights analyzed, the 78.4% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 63.1-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, Apr 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 85% on-time, while Mar 2024 came in at 68% on-time — a 17-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the SRQ to MDW route, the combination of a 78.4% on-time rate, 63.1-minute average delay, 1.6% recent cancellation rate, and 1 available carrier is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.