MSY to MDW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport to Chicago Midway International Airport · 825 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at MSY or MDW right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from New Orleans (MSY) to Chicago (MDW) arrived on time 75% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1.2% 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 5am did best (94% on time); around 6pm did worst (45%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (85% on time) and Sunday the least (69%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (55%).
Which airline is most on time from MSY to MDW?
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% | 1.2% | 15 min | 6.8% | 1,014 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am94%113 flights
- 6am92%211 flights
- 7am91%22 flights
- 8am96%26 flights
- 10am88%41 flights
- 11am74%76 flights
- 12pm85%63 flights
- 1pm85%33 flights
- 2pm64%90 flights
- 3pm53%38 flights
- 4pm66%75 flights
- 5pm52%88 flights
- 6pm45%117 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday70%2.7% cancelled
- Tuesday85%0.8% cancelled
- Wednesday80%0.8% cancelled
- Thursday72%0.7% cancelled
- Friday70%1.3% cancelled
- Saturday82%1.6% cancelled
- Sunday69%0.5% 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 aircraft55%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)25%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion13%
- Extreme weather6%
- Security1%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather83%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)8%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion8%
- Security0%
MSY to MDW: common questions
- How often are MSY to MDW 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 New Orleans to Chicago cancelled?
- 1.2% of scheduled flights were cancelled (12 of 1,014).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 15 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 54 min behind schedule on average, and 6.8% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at MSY?
- Flights on this route spent 12 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: MDW to MSY — 76% on time
More flights from New Orleans
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: MSY → MDW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.