DCA to MDW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Chicago Midway International Airport · 601 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DCA or MDW right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Washington (DCA) to Chicago (MDW) arrived on time 77% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 2.7% were cancelled, and 7% arrived an hour or more late.
- Southwest Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (95% on time); around 7pm did worst (57%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (86% on time) and Thursday the least (72%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (60%).
Which airline is most on time from DCA 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 | 77% | 2.7% | 15 min | 7.3% | 2,099 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am95%259 flights
- 7am86%105 flights
- 8am87%23 flights
- 9am89%289 flights
- 10am84%52 flights
- 11am80%256 flights
- 12pm89%84 flights
- 1pm77%23 flights
- 2pm91%56 flights
- 3pm64%276 flights
- 4pm83%40 flights
- 6pm65%226 flights
- 7pm57%103 flights
- 8pm78%80 flights
- 9pm60%227 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday77%4.5% cancelled
- Tuesday82%2.6% cancelled
- Wednesday79%1.6% cancelled
- Thursday72%2.6% cancelled
- Friday73%2.6% cancelled
- Saturday86%2.0% cancelled
- Sunday73%2.6% 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 aircraft60%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)23%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion12%
- Extreme weather4%
- Security1%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather57%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion23%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)20%
- Security0%
DCA to MDW: common questions
- How often are DCA to MDW flights on time?
- 77% 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 Washington to Chicago cancelled?
- 2.7% of scheduled flights were cancelled (56 of 2,099).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 15 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 62 min behind schedule on average, and 7.3% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DCA?
- Flights on this route spent 17 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: MDW to DCA — 70% on time
More flights from Washington
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: DCA → MDW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.