PDX to MDW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Portland International Airport to Chicago Midway International Airport · 1,751 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at PDX or MDW right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Portland (PDX) to Chicago (MDW) arrived on time 90% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.7% were cancelled, and 2% arrived an hour or more late.
- Southwest Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (95% on time); around 11am did worst (59%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (95% on time) and Sunday the least (86%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (45%).
Which airline is most on time from PDX 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 | 90% | 0.7% | 5 min | 1.6% | 684 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am94%114 flights
- 6am95%230 flights
- 8am94%34 flights
- 9am95%19 flights
- 10am92%12 flights
- 11am59%42 flights
- 1pm83%59 flights
- 2pm50%16 flights
- 11pm92%150 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday90%1.0% cancelled
- Tuesday89%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday93%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday87%1.0% cancelled
- Friday87%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday95%2.4% cancelled
- Sunday86%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.
- Late-arriving aircraft45%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)28%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion24%
- Extreme weather2%
- Security1%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)40%
- Extreme weather40%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion20%
- Security0%
PDX to MDW: common questions
- How often are PDX to MDW flights on time?
- 90% 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 Portland to Chicago cancelled?
- 0.7% of scheduled flights were cancelled (5 of 684).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 5 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 40 min behind schedule on average, and 1.6% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at PDX?
- Flights on this route spent 12 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: MDW to PDX — 62% on time
More flights from Portland
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: PDX → MDW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.