BHM to MDW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport to Chicago Midway International Airport · 570 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at BHM or MDW right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Birmingham (BHM) to Chicago (MDW) arrived on time 86% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 1.1% were cancelled, and 3% arrived an hour or more late.
- Southwest Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 5am did best (98% on time); around 4pm did worst (58%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (96% on time) and Sunday the least (74%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (38%).
Which airline is most on time from BHM to MDW?
Ranked by on-time arrival rate. Regional airlines fly under their partner's brand (e.g. SkyWest for Delta Connection or United Express).
| Airline | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay | 1 hr+ late | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 86% | 1.1% | 8 min | 3.3% | 457 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am98%56 flights
- 6am89%106 flights
- 7am94%91 flights
- 9am86%15 flights
- 10am89%55 flights
- 2pm85%21 flights
- 3pm70%23 flights
- 4pm58%31 flights
- 5pm83%20 flights
- 6pm77%32 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday87%2.8% cancelled
- Tuesday86%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday96%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday91%1.5% cancelled
- Friday88%1.4% cancelled
- Saturday85%2.1% cancelled
- Sunday74%0.0% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)38%
- Late-arriving aircraft32%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion30%
- Extreme weather0%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather100%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)0%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
BHM to MDW: common questions
- How often are BHM to MDW flights on time?
- 86% of flights arrived less than 15 minutes late in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, compared with 78% for all US flights.
- How often are flights from Birmingham to Chicago cancelled?
- 1.1% of scheduled flights were cancelled (5 of 457).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 8 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 52 min behind schedule on average, and 3.3% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at BHM?
- Flights on this route spent 11 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: MDW to BHM — 77% on time
More flights from Birmingham
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: BHM → MDW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.