CLE to MDW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport to Chicago Midway International Airport · 307 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at CLE or MDW right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Cleveland (CLE) to Chicago (MDW) arrived on time 83% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 1.1% were cancelled, and 4% arrived an hour or more late.
- Southwest Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 7am did best (96% on time); around 8pm did worst (70%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (91% on time) and Monday the least (75%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (46%).
Which airline is most on time from CLE 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 | 83% | 1.1% | 10 min | 3.8% | 1,110 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am89%179 flights
- 7am96%53 flights
- 8am83%106 flights
- 9am81%27 flights
- 10am96%24 flights
- 11am88%25 flights
- 12pm85%63 flights
- 1pm87%85 flights
- 2pm84%44 flights
- 3pm79%110 flights
- 4pm85%105 flights
- 6pm91%53 flights
- 7pm75%111 flights
- 8pm70%107 flights
- 9pm57%14 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday75%1.2% cancelled
- Tuesday85%0.6% cancelled
- Wednesday91%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday84%1.8% cancelled
- Friday82%1.1% cancelled
- Saturday85%0.9% cancelled
- Sunday81%2.0% 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 aircraft46%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion24%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)23%
- Extreme weather7%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather67%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)25%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion8%
- Security0%
CLE to MDW: common questions
- How often are CLE to MDW flights on time?
- 83% 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 Cleveland to Chicago cancelled?
- 1.1% of scheduled flights were cancelled (12 of 1,110).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 10 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 52 min behind schedule on average, and 3.8% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at CLE?
- Flights on this route spent 15 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: MDW to CLE — 81% on time
More flights from Cleveland
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: CLE → MDW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.