How reliable is Chicago Midway International Airport?
Flights from MDW departed within 15 minutes of schedule in 74% of 469,710 flights in official BTS history — and weather is calmest in Sep. Here’s the full picture before you book.
Reliability score
on-time, cancellations & delays
Weather favorability
year-round climate
Origin-airport operations
What the departure punctuality at MDW looks like
On-time departures
across 469,710 flights
Source: BTS Airport Operations · data through 2026-08-08. Role-specific BTS departure history; advisory context, not a guarantee for any flight.
Weather by month
When the weather works for you at Chicago
A calm-weather score (0–100) for each month from decades of airport observations — how often conditions disrupt flying, not temperature. Higher is calmer.
Calmest month
Calmest flying weather of the year · 97/100 favorability
Roughest month
Most disruptive — low visibility & fog, snow · 73/100 favorability
Connecting through MDW
How much layover you really need
Based on 158 sellable domestic itineraries seen through Google Flights. Median observed layover: 85 min.
Observed windows come from normalized SearchAPI / Google Flights itineraries. They are not official airport MCTs. We score every connecting itinerary against conservative connection floors.
The read on MDW
What the numbers say about flying through Chicago Midway International Airport
Across official performance history, flights from Chicago left within 15 minutes of schedule about 74% of the time over 469,710 flights. That's a middling record — neither a strength nor a red flag on its own. Pair it with a moderate cancellation rate of 1.6%. When a departure does run late, the typical delay is around 14 minutes.
On weather, Chicago is an unusually calm-weather airport year-round. September is the calmest stretch for flying, scoring 97 out of 100 for favorable conditions, while January is the most disruptive at 73, driven mainly by low visibility & fog and snow. The seasonal swing is real but manageable; favor the calmer months when your dates are flexible.
If you're connecting through MDW, give yourself room. Real itineraries sold through MDW bottom out around 50 minutes for a domestic connection. Those are floors, not comfortable buffers — one inbound delay can erase them, so add margin when the connection matters.
None of this guarantees your specific flight — it’s the backdrop. To turn it into a booking, score real flights to Chicago, read how we weigh it all in how the PlaneSane Score works, and brush up with how to pick a reliable flight and avoiding weather delays.
Common questions about MDW
- How reliable is Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW)?
- Flights from Chicago left within 15 minutes of schedule roughly 74% of the time across 469,710 flights of official history — a middling record — neither a strength nor a red flag on its own. The cancellation rate runs about 1.6%. It's advisory context, not a guarantee for any single flight.
- What is the best month to fly from MDW for good weather?
- September has the calmest flying weather at Chicago Midway International Airport. January is the most disruptive, mainly from low visibility & fog and snow.
- How much layover time do you need at MDW?
- Allow at least about 50 minutes for a domestic connection as a floor. These are minimums, not comfortable buffers — a single inbound delay can wipe them out, so add margin when you can.
Reliability guides
Planning a trip through Chicago?
Score real flights to and from MDW on reliability, weather, and connection safety — not just price.