Portland (PDX) to Chicago (MDW): On-Time Performance
Data through May 2026
When you fly PDX to MDW matters as much as anything else about the booking: the route swung from 97% on-time in November 2024 to just 77% in July 2025. Across the full period the route averages 88% on-time against a national 78%. Morning departures also hold up better than evening ones (94% vs 86%), which matters most in the rough months.
- On-time
- 88%
- arrived <15 min late
- Avg delay
- 6 min
- completed flights
- Cancelled
- 0.4%
- Flights/day
- 1.9
- last 12 months
- Duration
- 3h 56m
- scheduled
- Distance
- 1,751 mi
Monthly on-time trend
Best time to fly from PDX to MDW
Aim for departures around 6 a.m. (96% on-time); avoid 2 p.m. departures (63%).
By day of week
| Day | On-time | Avg delay |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 89% | 6 min |
| Tuesday | 90% | 5 min |
| Wednesday | 89% | 5 min |
| Thursday | 87% | 6 min |
| Friday | 87% | 6 min |
| Saturdaybest | 94% | 3 min |
| Sunday | 82% | 8 min |
What causes delays on this route
Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT.
- Late-arriving aircraft38%
- Airline operations40%
- National airspace system21%
- Security1%
Frequently asked questions
- How often are flights from PDX to MDW delayed?
- 12% of PDX–MDW 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 6 minutes.
- What is the best time of day to fly from PDX to MDW?
- Departures around 6 a.m. have the best record (96% on-time), while departures around 2 p.m. have the worst (63%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
- How long is the flight from PDX to MDW?
- The scheduled PDX–MDW flight time averages 3h 56m over 1,751 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 12% of the time.
- How often are PDX to MDW 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 PDX to MDW?
- July 2025 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 77% of arrivals on time. The best was November 2024 at 97%. If your dates are flexible, that 20-point gap is worth planning around.
Explore related pages
More routes from PDX
Based on 1,288 flights, 2024-06–2026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.