ORF to MDW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Norfolk International Airport to Chicago Midway International Airport · 704 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at ORF or MDW right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Norfolk (ORF) to Chicago (MDW) 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.
- Southwest Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (96% on time); around 7pm did worst (49%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (81% on time) and Saturday the least (67%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (52%).
Which airline is most on time from ORF 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 | 76% | 1.7% | 15 min | 5.7% | 577 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am94%108 flights
- 6am96%26 flights
- 7am92%60 flights
- 8am88%41 flights
- 11am79%24 flights
- 3pm53%40 flights
- 5pm93%56 flights
- 6pm63%91 flights
- 7pm49%91 flights
- 8pm52%24 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday77%3.5% cancelled
- Tuesday78%1.2% cancelled
- Wednesday81%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday71%1.2% cancelled
- Friday76%2.2% cancelled
- Saturday67%1.5% cancelled
- Sunday79%2.3% 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 aircraft52%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)25%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion21%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather80%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)10%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion10%
- Security0%
ORF to MDW: common questions
- How often are ORF to MDW 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 Norfolk to Chicago cancelled?
- 1.7% of scheduled flights were cancelled (10 of 577).
- 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 57 min behind schedule on average, and 5.7% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at ORF?
- Flights on this route spent 11 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: MDW to ORF — 75% on time
More flights from Norfolk
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: ORF → MDW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.