Chicago (MDW) to Portland (PDX): On-Time Performance
Data through July 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 66% on-time against a national 78%. Morning departures also hold up better than evening ones (77% vs 58%), which matters most in the rough months.
- On-time
- 66%
- arrived <15 min late
- Avg delay
- 18 min
- completed flights
- Cancelled
- 0.5%
- 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. (80% on-time); avoid 9 p.m. departures (49%).
By day of week
| Day | On-time | Avg delay |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 66% | 22 min |
| Tuesday | 68% | 17 min |
| Wednesday | 69% | 17 min |
| Thursday | 59% | 21 min |
| Friday | 63% | 18 min |
| Saturdaybest | 73% | 11 min |
| Sunday | 65% | 19 min |
What causes delays on this route
Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT.
- Late-arriving aircraft42%
- Airline operations34%
- National airspace system19%
- Weather5%
Frequently asked questions
- How often are flights from MDW to PDX delayed?
- 34% of MDW–PDX 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 18 minutes.
- What is the best time of day to fly from MDW to PDX?
- Departures around 8 a.m. have the best record (80% on-time), while departures around 9 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 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 34% of the time.
- How often are MDW to PDX flights cancelled?
- 0.5% 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 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 1,371 flights, 2024-07–2026-07. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-09-28.