DSM to MDW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Des Moines International Airport to Chicago Midway International Airport · 306 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DSM or MDW right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Des Moines (DSM) to Chicago (MDW) arrived on time 81% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 1.7% 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 5am did best (90% on time); around 4pm did worst (67%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (88% on time) and Thursday the least (72%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (49%).
Which airline is most on time from DSM 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% | 1.7% | 14 min | 5.3% | 290 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am90%148 flights
- 3pm82%50 flights
- 4pm67%90 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday74%4.8% cancelled
- Tuesday83%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday88%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday72%2.3% cancelled
- Friday88%2.3% cancelled
- Saturday79%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday80%2.4% 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)49%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion30%
- Late-arriving aircraft21%
- Extreme weather0%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather80%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)20%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
DSM to MDW: common questions
- How often are DSM 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 Des Moines to Chicago cancelled?
- 1.7% of scheduled flights were cancelled (5 of 290).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 14 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 73 min behind schedule on average, and 5.3% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DSM?
- Flights on this route spent 14 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: MDW to DSM — 72% on time
More flights from Des Moines
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: DSM → MDW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.