PHL to MDW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Philadelphia International Airport to Chicago Midway International Airport · 668 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at PHL or MDW right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Philadelphia (PHL) to Chicago (MDW) arrived on time 75% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1.7% were cancelled, and 8% arrived an hour or more late.
- Departures scheduled around 7am did best (92% on time); around 7pm did worst (40%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (82% on time) and Sunday the least (65%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (47%).
Which airline is most on time from PHL 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frontier Airlines | 84% | 1.4% | 12 min | 8.8% | 69 |
| Southwest Airlines | 74% | 1.7% | 20 min | 8.3% | 1,455 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am89%149 flights
- 6am88%98 flights
- 7am92%103 flights
- 8am86%42 flights
- 10am89%47 flights
- 11am86%155 flights
- 12pm79%204 flights
- 1pm85%55 flights
- 2pm77%85 flights
- 3pm77%63 flights
- 4pm70%89 flights
- 5pm58%122 flights
- 6pm57%187 flights
- 7pm40%68 flights
- 8pm35%44 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday73%3.4% cancelled
- Tuesday80%1.4% cancelled
- Wednesday82%0.9% cancelled
- Thursday72%1.8% cancelled
- Friday78%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday72%2.9% cancelled
- Sunday65%1.7% 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 aircraft47%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion28%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)22%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather69%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)15%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion15%
- Security0%
PHL to MDW: common questions
- How often are PHL 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 Philadelphia to Chicago cancelled?
- 1.7% of scheduled flights were cancelled (26 of 1,524).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 19 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 71 min behind schedule on average, and 8.3% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at PHL?
- Flights on this route spent 16 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: MDW to PHL — 76% on time
More flights from Philadelphia
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: PHL → MDW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.