FlightRecord

Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to Chicago (MDW): On-Time Performance

Data through July 2026

The calendar drives reliability on FLL–MDW. November 2024 flights landed on schedule 90% of the time, but March 2026 dropped to 60% — a gap of 30 points. Across the full period the route averages 75% on-time against a national 78%. Morning departures also hold up better than evening ones (89% vs 62%), which matters most in the rough months.

On-time
75%
arrived <15 min late
Avg delay
16 min
completed flights
Cancelled
1.2%
Flights/day
3.1
last 12 months
Duration
3h 10m
scheduled
Distance
1,167 mi

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly on-time percentage for FLL to MDW flights50%75%100%August 2024: 73% on-time (85 flights)73Aug 2024September 2024: 84% on-time (81 flights)84October 2024: 89% on-time (90 flights)89November 2024: 90% on-time (107 flights)90Nov 2024December 2024: 82% on-time (103 flights)82January 2025: 80% on-time (97 flights)80February 2025: 86% on-time (88 flights)86Feb 2025March 2025: 75% on-time (111 flights)75April 2025: 81% on-time (100 flights)81May 2025: 79% on-time (101 flights)79May 2025June 2025: 77% on-time (95 flights)77July 2025: 69% on-time (97 flights)69August 2025: 69% on-time (85 flights)69Aug 2025September 2025: 83% on-time (81 flights)83October 2025: 86% on-time (91 flights)86November 2025: 75% on-time (95 flights)75Nov 2025December 2025: 60% on-time (97 flights)60January 2026: 70% on-time (98 flights)70February 2026: 64% on-time (91 flights)64Feb 2026March 2026: 60% on-time (109 flights)60April 2026: 73% on-time (97 flights)73May 2026: 66% on-time (97 flights)66May 2026June 2026: 72% on-time (90 flights)72July 2026: 70% on-time (93 flights)70

Best time to fly from FLL to MDW

Aim for departures around 5 a.m. (96% on-time); avoid 6 p.m. departures (49%).

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour, FLL to MDW5 a.m.: 96% on-time (119 flights)56 a.m.: 91% on-time (408 flights)67 a.m.: 92% on-time (180 flights)78 a.m.: 92% on-time (52 flights)810 a.m.: 87% on-time (84 flights)1011 a.m.: 78% on-time (118 flights)1112 p.m.: 71% on-time (223 flights)121 p.m.: 67% on-time (133 flights)132 p.m.: 68% on-time (199 flights)143 p.m.: 58% on-time (26 flights)154 p.m.: 66% on-time (128 flights)165 p.m.: 64% on-time (133 flights)176 p.m.: 49% on-time (203 flights)187 p.m.: 77% on-time (133 flights)198 p.m.: 63% on-time (115 flights)209 p.m.: 66% on-time (100 flights)21scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday71%17 min
Tuesday78%15 min
Wednesdaybest83%9 min
Thursday75%15 min
Friday72%16 min
Saturday80%13 min
Sunday68%24 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 operations31%
  • National airspace system16%
  • Weather3%

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights from FLL to MDW delayed?
25% of FLL–MDW flights arrived 15 or more minutes late (the US DOT definition of a delay) between 2024-07 and 2026-07. The average arrival delay across completed flights was 16 minutes.
What is the best time of day to fly from FLL to MDW?
Departures around 5 a.m. have the best record (96% on-time), while departures around 6 p.m. have the worst (49%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
How long is the flight from FLL to MDW?
The scheduled FLL–MDW flight time averages 3h 10m over 1,167 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 25% of the time.
How often are FLL to MDW flights cancelled?
1.2% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled between 2024-07 and 2026-07, at or below the national rate of 1.6%.
What is the worst month to fly from FLL to MDW?
March 2026 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 60% of arrivals on time. The best was November 2024 at 90%. If your dates are flexible, that 30-point gap is worth planning around.

Based on 2,371 flights, 2024-07–2026-07. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-09-28.