Des Moines (DSM) to Chicago (MDW): On-Time Performance
Data through May 2026
Des Moines (DSM) to Chicago (MDW) is a thinner route than most in this dataset — 168 departures over the past year, roughly 3 a week — so treat these numbers as indicative rather than definitive. Of the flights that did operate, 81% arrived on time.
- On-time
- 81%
- arrived <15 min late
- Avg delay
- 16 min
- completed flights
- Cancelled
- 2.4%
- Flights/day
- 0.46
- last 12 months
- Duration
- 1h 20m
- scheduled
- Distance
- 306 mi
Best time to fly from DSM to MDW
By day of week
| Day | On-time | Avg delay |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 70% | 46 min |
| Tuesday | 83% | 9 min |
| Wednesdaybest | 96% | 6 min |
| Thursday | 76% | 26 min |
| Friday | 80% | 6 min |
| Saturday | 78% | 11 min |
| Sunday | 80% | 9 min |
What causes delays on this route
Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT.
- Late-arriving aircraft20%
- Airline operations44%
- National airspace system36%
Frequently asked questions
- How often are flights from DSM to MDW delayed?
- 20% of DSM–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 16 minutes.
- How long is the flight from DSM to MDW?
- The scheduled DSM–MDW flight time averages 1h 20m over 306 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 20% of the time.
- How often are DSM to MDW flights cancelled?
- 2.4% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled between 2024-06 and 2026-05, slightly above the national rate of 1.6%.
Explore related pages
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Based on 168 flights, 2024-06–2026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.