MDW to MSY flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Chicago Midway International Airport to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport · 825 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at MDW or MSY 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 New Orleans (MSY) arrived on time 76% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1.5% 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 9am did best (92% on time); around 2pm did worst (62%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (87% on time) and Sunday the least (67%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (50%).
Which airline is most on time from MDW to MSY?
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 | 76% | 1.5% | 13 min | 5.9% | 1,013 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 7am85%144 flights
- 8am87%165 flights
- 9am92%52 flights
- 11am43%21 flights
- 12pm87%23 flights
- 1pm81%31 flights
- 2pm62%90 flights
- 3pm50%28 flights
- 4pm69%80 flights
- 5pm81%28 flights
- 6pm83%12 flights
- 7pm81%53 flights
- 8pm77%109 flights
- 9pm64%146 flights
- 10pm59%23 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday73%2.7% cancelled
- Tuesday87%0.8% cancelled
- Wednesday85%0.8% cancelled
- Thursday71%2.1% cancelled
- Friday67%1.3% cancelled
- Saturday85%1.6% 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 aircraft50%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)36%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion13%
- Extreme weather1%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather73%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)13%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion13%
- Security0%
MDW to MSY: common questions
- How often are MDW to MSY flights on time?
- 76% 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 New Orleans cancelled?
- 1.5% of scheduled flights were cancelled (15 of 1,013).
- 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 48 min behind schedule on average, and 5.9% 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: MSY to MDW — 75% 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 → MSY, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.