HOU to MDW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from William P. Hobby Airport to Chicago Midway International Airport · 937 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at HOU or MDW right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Houston (HOU) to Chicago (MDW) arrived on time 72% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1.1% 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 5am did best (89% on time); around 3pm did worst (54%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (77% on time) and Sunday the least (66%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (42%).
Which airline is most on time from HOU 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 | 72% | 1.1% | 15 min | 7.5% | 1,840 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am89%107 flights
- 6am88%206 flights
- 7am87%69 flights
- 8am82%131 flights
- 9am90%42 flights
- 10am94%35 flights
- 11am80%138 flights
- 12pm73%94 flights
- 1pm56%62 flights
- 2pm66%177 flights
- 3pm54%78 flights
- 4pm54%114 flights
- 6pm62%161 flights
- 7pm65%111 flights
- 8pm66%164 flights
- 9pm57%94 flights
- 10pm71%41 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday68%2.2% cancelled
- Tuesday77%0.4% cancelled
- Wednesday72%0.4% cancelled
- Thursday75%1.5% cancelled
- Friday72%1.4% cancelled
- Saturday74%1.2% cancelled
- Sunday66%0.8% 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 aircraft42%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)37%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion18%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather57%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)29%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion14%
- Security0%
HOU to MDW: common questions
- How often are HOU to MDW flights on time?
- 72% 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 Houston to Chicago cancelled?
- 1.1% of scheduled flights were cancelled (21 of 1,840).
- 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 49 min behind schedule on average, and 7.5% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at HOU?
- Flights on this route spent 13 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: MDW to HOU — 74% on time
More flights from Houston
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: HOU → MDW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.