BWI to MDW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport to Chicago Midway International Airport · 611 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at BWI or MDW right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Baltimore (BWI) to Chicago (MDW) arrived on time 76% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 2.2% were cancelled, and 8% arrived an hour or more late.
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (92% on time); around 8pm did worst (55%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (82% on time) and Monday the least (72%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (48%).
Which airline is most on time from BWI 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 | 76% | 2.2% | 15 min | 7.5% | 1,767 |
| Frontier Airlines | 75% | 1.4% | 21 min | 13.0% | 71 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am92%196 flights
- 7am87%150 flights
- 8am90%61 flights
- 9am79%93 flights
- 10am83%118 flights
- 11am86%51 flights
- 12pm76%84 flights
- 1pm85%122 flights
- 2pm77%88 flights
- 3pm85%69 flights
- 4pm76%144 flights
- 5pm73%110 flights
- 6pm55%92 flights
- 7pm67%197 flights
- 8pm55%112 flights
- 9pm56%90 flights
- 10pm59%61 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday72%2.1% cancelled
- Tuesday76%2.1% cancelled
- Wednesday82%1.3% cancelled
- Thursday74%1.8% cancelled
- Friday75%2.1% cancelled
- Saturday79%3.2% cancelled
- Sunday74%2.8% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Late-arriving aircraft48%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)29%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion18%
- Extreme weather5%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather75%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)18%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion8%
- Security0%
BWI to MDW: common questions
- How often are BWI to MDW flights on time?
- 76% 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 Baltimore to Chicago cancelled?
- 2.2% of scheduled flights were cancelled (40 of 1,838).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 16 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 61 min behind schedule on average, and 7.7% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at BWI?
- Flights on this route spent 14 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: MDW to BWI — 79% on time
More flights from Baltimore
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: BWI → MDW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.