MDW to LAX flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Chicago Midway International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport · 1,751 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at MDW or LAX 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 Los Angeles (LAX) arrived on time 69% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.9% were cancelled, and 8% arrived an hour or more late.
- Southwest Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (90% on time); around 10pm did worst (40%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (75% on time) and Monday the least (66%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (41%).
Which airline is most on time from MDW to LAX?
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 | 69% | 0.9% | 17 min | 7.7% | 1,298 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am89%84 flights
- 6am90%79 flights
- 7am77%22 flights
- 8am76%162 flights
- 9am77%55 flights
- 10am77%141 flights
- 11am79%14 flights
- 1pm70%27 flights
- 2pm63%42 flights
- 3pm63%58 flights
- 4pm63%55 flights
- 5pm64%94 flights
- 6pm50%94 flights
- 7pm74%23 flights
- 8pm79%106 flights
- 9pm53%192 flights
- 10pm40%41 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday66%1.5% cancelled
- Tuesday75%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday72%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday68%1.6% cancelled
- Friday67%0.5% cancelled
- Saturday71%1.9% cancelled
- Sunday67%1.1% 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 aircraft41%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)40%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion17%
- Extreme weather2%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather100%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)0%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
MDW to LAX: common questions
- How often are MDW to LAX flights on time?
- 69% 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 Los Angeles cancelled?
- 0.9% of scheduled flights were cancelled (12 of 1,298).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 17 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 50 min behind schedule on average, and 7.7% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at MDW?
- Flights on this route spent 16 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: LAX 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 → LAX, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.