MDW to ORF flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Chicago Midway International Airport to Norfolk International Airport · 704 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at MDW or ORF 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 Norfolk (ORF) arrived on time 75% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.9% 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 10am did best (96% on time); around 7pm did worst (58%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (83% on time) and Sunday the least (68%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (42%).
Which airline is most on time from MDW to ORF?
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 | 75% | 0.9% | 16 min | 7.2% | 578 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 7am93%58 flights
- 9am87%31 flights
- 10am96%24 flights
- 11am75%24 flights
- 12pm68%69 flights
- 1pm89%45 flights
- 5pm83%30 flights
- 6pm71%141 flights
- 7pm58%115 flights
- 8pm74%20 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday71%0.0% cancelled
- Tuesday80%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday82%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday70%1.2% cancelled
- Friday70%1.1% cancelled
- Saturday83%2.9% cancelled
- Sunday68%1.2% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)42%
- Late-arriving aircraft42%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion11%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security2%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather80%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)20%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
MDW to ORF: common questions
- How often are MDW to ORF flights on time?
- 75% 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 Norfolk cancelled?
- 0.9% of scheduled flights were cancelled (5 of 578).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 16 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 58 min behind schedule on average, and 7.2% 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: ORF to MDW — 76% 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 → ORF, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.