MCI to MDW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Kansas City International Airport to Chicago Midway International Airport · 404 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at MCI or MDW right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Kansas City (MCI) to Chicago (MDW) arrived on time 80% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 1.1% 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 (93% on time); around 4pm did worst (62%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (88% on time) and Sunday the least (73%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (56%).
Which airline is most on time from MCI 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 | 80% | 1.1% | 11 min | 4.9% | 2,107 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am93%222 flights
- 6am91%45 flights
- 7am87%196 flights
- 8am90%126 flights
- 9am84%44 flights
- 10am89%273 flights
- 11am84%68 flights
- 12pm91%67 flights
- 1pm88%117 flights
- 2pm77%153 flights
- 3pm73%182 flights
- 4pm62%129 flights
- 5pm66%141 flights
- 6pm70%149 flights
- 7pm65%138 flights
- 8pm70%28 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday75%2.8% cancelled
- Tuesday86%0.6% cancelled
- Wednesday88%0.6% cancelled
- Thursday78%0.6% cancelled
- Friday79%0.6% cancelled
- Saturday83%1.3% cancelled
- Sunday73%1.4% 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 aircraft56%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)25%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion16%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather88%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)13%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
MCI to MDW: common questions
- How often are MCI to MDW flights on time?
- 80% 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 Kansas City to Chicago cancelled?
- 1.1% of scheduled flights were cancelled (24 of 2,107).
- 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 49 min behind schedule on average, and 4.9% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at MCI?
- Flights on this route spent 12 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: MDW to MCI — 79% on time
More flights from Kansas City
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: MCI → MDW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.