CMH to MDW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from John Glenn Columbus International Airport to Chicago Midway International Airport · 283 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at CMH or MDW right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Columbus (CMH) to Chicago (MDW) arrived on time 81% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 1.6% were cancelled, and 5% arrived an hour or more late.
- Southwest Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 1pm did best (98% on time); around 8pm did worst (59%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (90% on time) and Sunday the least (73%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (55%).
Which airline is most on time from CMH 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 | 81% | 1.6% | 12 min | 5.4% | 1,239 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am91%172 flights
- 7am90%52 flights
- 8am90%88 flights
- 9am89%78 flights
- 10am100%25 flights
- 11am92%84 flights
- 12pm81%106 flights
- 1pm98%46 flights
- 3pm75%91 flights
- 4pm74%124 flights
- 5pm70%23 flights
- 6pm86%74 flights
- 7pm76%116 flights
- 8pm59%144 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday75%1.6% cancelled
- Tuesday88%1.7% cancelled
- Wednesday90%0.6% cancelled
- Thursday84%1.1% cancelled
- Friday79%0.5% cancelled
- Saturday81%4.4% cancelled
- Sunday73%2.1% 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 aircraft55%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion22%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)21%
- Extreme weather1%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather80%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)15%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion5%
- Security0%
CMH to MDW: common questions
- How often are CMH to MDW flights on time?
- 81% 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 Columbus to Chicago cancelled?
- 1.6% of scheduled flights were cancelled (20 of 1,239).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 12 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 58 min behind schedule on average, and 5.4% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at CMH?
- Flights on this route spent 13 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: MDW to CMH — 81% on time
More flights from Columbus
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: CMH → MDW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.