MDW to PHL flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Chicago Midway International Airport to Philadelphia International Airport · 668 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at MDW or PHL 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 Philadelphia (PHL) arrived on time 76% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1.7% were cancelled, and 6% arrived an hour or more late.
- Departures scheduled around 7am did best (93% on time); around 5pm did worst (62%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (80% on time) and Thursday the least (71%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (30%).
Which airline is most on time from MDW to PHL?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frontier Airlines | 84% | 1.5% | 27 min | 7.5% | 68 |
| Southwest Airlines | 76% | 1.7% | 15 min | 6.2% | 1,454 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am91%43 flights
- 7am93%179 flights
- 8am81%77 flights
- 9am87%139 flights
- 10am91%100 flights
- 11am86%52 flights
- 12pm84%57 flights
- 1pm72%191 flights
- 2pm69%140 flights
- 3pm64%130 flights
- 4pm58%40 flights
- 5pm62%52 flights
- 6pm69%225 flights
- 7pm62%41 flights
- 8pm69%16 flights
- 9pm57%38 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday76%2.2% cancelled
- Tuesday80%1.4% cancelled
- Wednesday77%1.4% cancelled
- Thursday71%0.9% cancelled
- Friday78%0.4% cancelled
- Saturday80%1.8% cancelled
- Sunday72%3.9% 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)30%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion30%
- Late-arriving aircraft30%
- Extreme weather10%
- Security1%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather69%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion23%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)8%
- Security0%
MDW to PHL: common questions
- How often are MDW to PHL 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 Philadelphia cancelled?
- 1.7% of scheduled flights were cancelled (26 of 1,522).
- 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 62 min behind schedule on average, and 6.2% 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: PHL 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 → PHL, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.