MDW to BUF flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Chicago Midway International Airport to Buffalo Niagara International Airport · 468 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at MDW or BUF 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 Buffalo (BUF) arrived on time 74% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1.5% 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 7am did best (94% on time); around 2pm did worst (55%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (79% 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 BUF?
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 | 74% | 1.5% | 15 min | 6.8% | 824 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 7am94%121 flights
- 8am86%15 flights
- 9am81%91 flights
- 10am96%23 flights
- 12pm80%92 flights
- 1pm74%130 flights
- 2pm55%31 flights
- 5pm68%31 flights
- 6pm60%108 flights
- 7pm58%93 flights
- 8pm67%40 flights
- 9pm71%32 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday68%3.9% cancelled
- Tuesday79%1.6% cancelled
- Wednesday78%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday74%2.4% cancelled
- Friday70%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday75%1.3% cancelled
- Sunday73%0.9% 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)38%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion11%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather67%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)25%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion8%
- Security0%
MDW to BUF: common questions
- How often are MDW to BUF flights on time?
- 74% 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 Buffalo cancelled?
- 1.5% of scheduled flights were cancelled (12 of 824).
- 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 53 min behind schedule on average, and 6.8% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at MDW?
- Flights on this route spent 15 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: BUF to MDW — 77% 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 → BUF, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.