MDW to BHM flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Chicago Midway International Airport to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport · 570 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at MDW or BHM right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Chicago (MDW) to Birmingham (BHM) arrived on time 77% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1.1% were cancelled, and 6% arrived an hour or more late.
- Southwest Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 10am did best (100% on time); around 12pm did worst (55%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (85% on time) and Monday the least (68%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (48%).
Which airline is most on time from MDW to BHM?
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% | 1.1% | 13 min | 6.4% | 458 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 7am81%79 flights
- 8am84%19 flights
- 10am100%15 flights
- 11am74%24 flights
- 12pm55%41 flights
- 1pm81%21 flights
- 2pm67%33 flights
- 3pm67%16 flights
- 4pm64%11 flights
- 6pm82%33 flights
- 8pm82%113 flights
- 9pm83%18 flights
- 10pm59%17 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday68%2.8% cancelled
- Tuesday85%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday79%1.8% cancelled
- Thursday78%1.4% cancelled
- Friday74%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday80%2.1% cancelled
- Sunday78%0.0% 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 aircraft48%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)35%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion13%
- Extreme weather4%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather80%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion20%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)0%
- Security0%
MDW to BHM: common questions
- How often are MDW to BHM 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 Chicago to Birmingham cancelled?
- 1.1% of scheduled flights were cancelled (5 of 458).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 13 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 52 min behind schedule on average, and 6.4% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at MDW?
- Flights on this route spent 14 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: BHM to MDW — 86% on time
More flights from Chicago
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: MDW → BHM, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.