LAX to MDW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Los Angeles International Airport to Chicago Midway International Airport · 1,751 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at LAX or MDW right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Los Angeles (LAX) to Chicago (MDW) arrived on time 77% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.6% 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 6am did best (92% on time); around 3pm did worst (53%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (84% on time) and Sunday the least (73%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (45%).
Which airline is most on time from LAX 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% | 0.6% | 11 min | 4.4% | 1,298 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am89%168 flights
- 6am92%193 flights
- 8am87%31 flights
- 10am74%74 flights
- 11am62%147 flights
- 12pm61%68 flights
- 1pm73%38 flights
- 2pm62%13 flights
- 3pm53%57 flights
- 4pm72%66 flights
- 5pm42%33 flights
- 6pm42%27 flights
- 7pm46%13 flights
- 10pm92%13 flights
- 11pm86%352 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday73%0.5% cancelled
- Tuesday80%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday84%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday75%0.5% cancelled
- Friday76%1.0% cancelled
- Saturday83%0.6% cancelled
- Sunday73%1.7% 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)45%
- Late-arriving aircraft38%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion17%
- Extreme weather1%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather88%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)13%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
LAX to MDW: common questions
- How often are LAX 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 Los Angeles to Chicago cancelled?
- 0.6% of scheduled flights were cancelled (8 of 1,298).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 11 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 44 min behind schedule on average, and 4.4% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at LAX?
- Flights on this route spent 14 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: MDW to LAX — 69% on time
More flights from Los Angeles
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: LAX → MDW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.