MDW to SDF flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Chicago Midway International Airport to Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport · 271 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at MDW or SDF 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 Louisville (SDF) arrived on time 83% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 1.5% were cancelled, and 5% arrived an hour or more late.
- Southwest Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 10am did best (97% on time); around 7pm did worst (70%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (90% on time) and Monday the least (77%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (53%).
Which airline is most on time from MDW to SDF?
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 | 83% | 1.5% | 10 min | 4.7% | 978 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 7am94%127 flights
- 8am100%24 flights
- 9am82%80 flights
- 10am97%114 flights
- 12pm82%106 flights
- 1pm90%30 flights
- 2pm81%62 flights
- 3pm74%54 flights
- 4pm93%27 flights
- 6pm78%74 flights
- 7pm70%137 flights
- 8pm79%101 flights
- 9pm80%21 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday77%0.7% cancelled
- Tuesday85%0.7% cancelled
- Wednesday90%0.7% cancelled
- Thursday83%0.7% cancelled
- Friday81%1.4% cancelled
- Saturday85%4.7% cancelled
- Sunday80%2.8% 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 aircraft53%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)33%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion12%
- Extreme weather3%
- 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 SDF: common questions
- How often are MDW to SDF flights on time?
- 83% 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 Louisville cancelled?
- 1.5% of scheduled flights were cancelled (15 of 978).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 10 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 53 min behind schedule on average, and 4.7% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at MDW?
- Flights on this route spent 14 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SDF to MDW — 85% 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 → SDF, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.