FlightRecord

Chicago (MDW) to Baltimore (BWI): On-Time Performance

Data through May 2026

The calendar drives reliability on MDW–BWI. January 2025 flights landed on schedule 89% of the time, but July 2025 dropped to 64% — a gap of 25 points. Across the full period the route averages 79% on-time against a national 78%. Morning departures also hold up better than evening ones (91% vs 63%), which matters most in the rough months.

On-time
79%
arrived <15 min late
Avg delay
13 min
completed flights
Cancelled
1.7%
Flights/day
5.1
last 12 months
Duration
1h 49m
scheduled
Distance
611 mi

Best airline from MDW to BWI

2 airlines flew this route regularly between 2024-06 and 2026-05.

AirlineOn-timeAvg delayCancelledFlights
Southwest Airlinesmost reliable80%13 min1.8%3,527
Frontier Airlines72%20 min0.7%276

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly on-time percentage for MDW to BWI flights50%75%100%June 2024: 71% on-time (185 flights)71Jun 2024July 2024: 67% on-time (195 flights)67August 2024: 73% on-time (183 flights)73September 2024: 87% on-time (179 flights)87Sep 2024October 2024: 88% on-time (184 flights)88November 2024: 88% on-time (156 flights)88December 2024: 81% on-time (155 flights)81Dec 2024January 2025: 89% on-time (141 flights)89February 2025: 84% on-time (116 flights)84March 2025: 78% on-time (135 flights)78Mar 2025April 2025: 89% on-time (151 flights)89May 2025: 76% on-time (167 flights)76June 2025: 71% on-time (178 flights)71Jun 2025July 2025: 64% on-time (188 flights)64August 2025: 77% on-time (184 flights)77September 2025: 86% on-time (180 flights)86Sep 2025October 2025: 84% on-time (185 flights)84November 2025: 83% on-time (158 flights)83December 2025: 76% on-time (140 flights)76Dec 2025January 2026: 89% on-time (127 flights)89February 2026: 75% on-time (118 flights)75March 2026: 81% on-time (125 flights)81Mar 2026April 2026: 79% on-time (133 flights)79May 2026: 79% on-time (140 flights)79

Best time to fly from MDW to BWI

Aim for departures around 6 a.m. (97% on-time); avoid 7 p.m. departures (55%).

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour, MDW to BWI5 a.m.: 92% on-time (296 flights)56 a.m.: 97% on-time (260 flights)67 a.m.: 91% on-time (385 flights)78 a.m.: 94% on-time (160 flights)89 a.m.: 87% on-time (298 flights)910 a.m.: 85% on-time (163 flights)1011 a.m.: 88% on-time (146 flights)1112 p.m.: 86% on-time (264 flights)121 p.m.: 83% on-time (264 flights)132 p.m.: 68% on-time (211 flights)143 p.m.: 65% on-time (106 flights)154 p.m.: 73% on-time (177 flights)165 p.m.: 69% on-time (269 flights)176 p.m.: 71% on-time (261 flights)187 p.m.: 55% on-time (198 flights)198 p.m.: 56% on-time (155 flights)209 p.m.: 60% on-time (164 flights)2110 p.m.: 52% on-time (26 flights)22scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday75%16 min
Tuesday84%11 min
Wednesday78%13 min
Thursday80%12 min
Friday79%13 min
Saturdaybest84%9 min
Sunday77%16 min

What causes delays on this route

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

  • Late-arriving aircraft47%
  • Airline operations30%
  • National airspace system21%
  • Weather2%

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights from MDW to BWI delayed?
21% of MDW–BWI 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 13 minutes.
Which airline is most reliable from MDW to BWI?
Southwest Airlines has the best on-time record on this route at 80%, based on 3,527 flights. 2 airlines flew MDW–BWI frequently enough to compare in this period.
What is the best time of day to fly from MDW to BWI?
Departures around 6 a.m. have the best record (97% on-time), while departures around 7 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 MDW to BWI?
The scheduled MDW–BWI flight time averages 1h 49m over 611 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 21% of the time.
How often are MDW to BWI flights cancelled?
1.7% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled between 2024-06 and 2026-05, slightly above the national rate of 1.6%.
What is the worst month to fly from MDW to BWI?
July 2025 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 64% of arrivals on time. The best was January 2025 at 89%. If your dates are flexible, that 25-point gap is worth planning around.

Based on 3,803 flights, 2024-062026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.