Chicago (MDW) to Portland (PDX): On-Time Performance
Data through May 2026
When you fly MDW to PDX matters as much as anything else about the booking: the route swung from 87% on-time in October 2024 to just 29% in December 2025. Across the full period the route averages 67% on-time against a national 78%. Morning departures also hold up better than evening ones (75% vs 59%), which matters most in the rough months.
- On-time
- 67%
- arrived <15 min late
- Avg delay
- 17 min
- completed flights
- Cancelled
- 0.4%
- Flights/day
- 1.9
- last 12 months
- Duration
- 4h 20m
- scheduled
- Distance
- 1,751 mi
Monthly on-time trend
Best time to fly from MDW to PDX
Aim for departures around 8 a.m. (77% on-time); avoid 9 p.m. departures (50%).
By day of week
| Day | On-time | Avg delay |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 68% | 21 min |
| Tuesday | 67% | 19 min |
| Wednesday | 71% | 13 min |
| Thursday | 60% | 20 min |
| Friday | 64% | 18 min |
| Saturdaybest | 75% | 10 min |
| Sunday | 63% | 20 min |
What causes delays on this route
Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT.
- Late-arriving aircraft39%
- Airline operations35%
- National airspace system20%
- Weather5%
- Security1%
Frequently asked questions
- How often are flights from MDW to PDX delayed?
- 33% of MDW–PDX 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 17 minutes.
- What is the best time of day to fly from MDW to PDX?
- Departures around 8 a.m. have the best record (77% on-time), while departures around 9 p.m. have the worst (50%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
- How long is the flight from MDW to PDX?
- The scheduled MDW–PDX flight time averages 4h 20m over 1,751 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 33% of the time.
- How often are MDW to PDX flights cancelled?
- 0.4% 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 MDW to PDX?
- December 2025 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 29% of arrivals on time. The best was October 2024 at 87%. If your dates are flexible, that 58-point gap is worth planning around.
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Based on 1,287 flights, 2024-06–2026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.