Chicago (MDW) to Cleveland (CLE): On-Time Performance
Data through July 2026
When you fly MDW to CLE matters as much as anything else about the booking: the route swung from 95% on-time in October 2024 to just 68% in July 2025. Across the full period the route averages 81% on-time against a national 78%. Morning departures also hold up better than evening ones (92% vs 71%), which matters most in the rough months.
- On-time
- 81%
- arrived <15 min late
- Avg delay
- 12 min
- completed flights
- Cancelled
- 0.9%
- Flights/day
- 3.0
- last 12 months
- Duration
- 1h 13m
- scheduled
- Distance
- 307 mi
Monthly on-time trend
Best time to fly from MDW to CLE
Aim for departures around 10 a.m. (98% on-time); avoid 10 p.m. departures (52%).
By day of week
| Day | On-time | Avg delay |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 78% | 15 min |
| Tuesdaybest | 87% | 9 min |
| Wednesdaybest | 87% | 7 min |
| Thursday | 80% | 13 min |
| Friday | 80% | 11 min |
| Saturday | 80% | 10 min |
| Sunday | 77% | 15 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 operations36%
- National airspace system10%
- Weather4%
- Security1%
Frequently asked questions
- How often are flights from MDW to CLE delayed?
- 19% of MDW–CLE 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 12 minutes.
- What is the best time of day to fly from MDW to CLE?
- Departures around 10 a.m. have the best record (98% on-time), while departures around 10 p.m. have the worst (52%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
- How long is the flight from MDW to CLE?
- The scheduled MDW–CLE flight time averages 1h 13m over 307 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 19% of the time.
- How often are MDW to CLE flights cancelled?
- 0.9% 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 MDW to CLE?
- July 2025 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 68% of arrivals on time. The best was October 2024 at 95%. If your dates are flexible, that 27-point gap is worth planning around.
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Based on 2,320 flights, 2024-07–2026-07. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-09-28.