FlightRecord

Charlotte (CLT) to Chicago (MDW): On-Time Performance

Data through May 2026

The calendar drives reliability on CLT–MDW. September 2025 flights landed on schedule 93% of the time, but December 2024 dropped to 62% — a gap of 31 points. Across the full period the route averages 74% on-time against a national 78%. Morning departures also hold up better than evening ones (89% vs 61%), which matters most in the rough months.

On-time
74%
arrived <15 min late
Avg delay
15 min
completed flights
Cancelled
1.0%
Flights/day
2.0
last 12 months
Duration
2h 2m
scheduled
Distance
584 mi

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly on-time percentage for CLT to MDW flights50%75%100%June 2024: 71% on-time (75 flights)71Jun 2024July 2024: 65% on-time (80 flights)65August 2024: 69% on-time (71 flights)69September 2024: 78% on-time (69 flights)78Sep 2024October 2024: 82% on-time (78 flights)82November 2024: 78% on-time (58 flights)78December 2024: 62% on-time (61 flights)62Dec 2024January 2025: 64% on-time (39 flights)64February 2025: 85% on-time (41 flights)85March 2025: 87% on-time (55 flights)87Mar 2025April 2025: 75% on-time (56 flights)75May 2025: 68% on-time (57 flights)68June 2025: 68% on-time (78 flights)68Jun 2025July 2025: 63% on-time (84 flights)63August 2025: 74% on-time (60 flights)74September 2025: 93% on-time (56 flights)93Sep 2025October 2025: 81% on-time (62 flights)81November 2025: 78% on-time (57 flights)78December 2025: 71% on-time (60 flights)71Dec 2025January 2026: 86% on-time (37 flights)86February 2026: 78% on-time (42 flights)78March 2026: 64% on-time (60 flights)64Mar 2026April 2026: 85% on-time (60 flights)85May 2026: 74% on-time (62 flights)74

Best time to fly from CLT to MDW

Aim for departures around 6 a.m. (93% on-time); avoid 8 p.m. departures (55%).

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour, CLT to MDW5 a.m.: 85% on-time (91 flights)56 a.m.: 93% on-time (284 flights)67 a.m.: 88% on-time (184 flights)78 a.m.: 85% on-time (87 flights)812 p.m.: 46% on-time (28 flights)121 p.m.: 70% on-time (81 flights)133 p.m.: 96% on-time (26 flights)154 p.m.: 69% on-time (29 flights)165 p.m.: 71% on-time (103 flights)176 p.m.: 63% on-time (192 flights)187 p.m.: 58% on-time (188 flights)198 p.m.: 55% on-time (151 flights)20scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday75%17 min
Tuesdaybest81%12 min
Wednesday77%15 min
Thursday71%13 min
Friday76%17 min
Saturday71%15 min
Sunday67%17 min

What causes delays on this route

Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT.

  • Late-arriving aircraft50%
  • Airline operations35%
  • National airspace system10%
  • Weather4%
  • Security1%

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights from CLT to MDW delayed?
26% of CLT–MDW flights arrived 15 or more minutes late (the US DOT definition of a delay) between 2024-06 and 2026-05. The average arrival delay across completed flights was 15 minutes.
What is the best time of day to fly from CLT to MDW?
Departures around 6 a.m. have the best record (93% on-time), while departures around 8 p.m. have the worst (55%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
How long is the flight from CLT to MDW?
The scheduled CLT–MDW flight time averages 2h 2m over 584 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 26% of the time.
How often are CLT to MDW flights cancelled?
1% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled between 2024-06 and 2026-05, at or below the national rate of 1.6%.
What is the worst month to fly from CLT to MDW?
December 2024 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 62% of arrivals on time. The best was September 2025 at 93%. If your dates are flexible, that 31-point gap is worth planning around.

Based on 1,458 flights, 2024-062026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.