MDW to DCA flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Chicago Midway International Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport · 601 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at MDW or DCA 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 Washington (DCA) arrived on time 70% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1.9% were cancelled, and 9% arrived an hour or more late.
- Southwest Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 5am did best (95% on time); around 5pm did worst (55%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (76% on time) and Sunday the least (63%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was air traffic control & airport congestion (40%).
Which airline is most on time from MDW to DCA?
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 | 70% | 1.9% | 18 min | 9.3% | 2,100 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am95%104 flights
- 6am88%156 flights
- 7am93%89 flights
- 8am92%163 flights
- 9am82%106 flights
- 10am85%97 flights
- 11am61%140 flights
- 12pm70%252 flights
- 1pm57%114 flights
- 2pm55%74 flights
- 3pm67%135 flights
- 4pm45%44 flights
- 5pm55%267 flights
- 6pm40%47 flights
- 7pm59%29 flights
- 8pm57%274 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday68%3.2% cancelled
- Tuesday75%1.6% cancelled
- Wednesday75%1.3% cancelled
- Thursday66%0.7% cancelled
- Friday65%1.0% cancelled
- Saturday76%2.8% cancelled
- Sunday63%2.6% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Air traffic control & airport congestion40%
- Late-arriving aircraft36%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)21%
- Extreme weather2%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather62%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion23%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)15%
- Security0%
MDW to DCA: common questions
- How often are MDW to DCA flights on time?
- 70% 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 Washington cancelled?
- 1.9% of scheduled flights were cancelled (39 of 2,100).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 18 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 56 min behind schedule on average, and 9.3% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at MDW?
- Flights on this route spent 18 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DCA 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 → DCA, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.