RDU to MDW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Raleigh-Durham International Airport to Chicago Midway International Airport · 632 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at RDU or MDW right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Raleigh/Durham (RDU) to Chicago (MDW) arrived on time 79% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 2% 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 6am did best (98% on time); around 7pm did worst (54%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (83% on time) and Monday the least (74%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (54%).
Which airline is most on time from RDU 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 | 79% | 2.0% | 13 min | 5.1% | 961 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am95%101 flights
- 6am98%86 flights
- 7am96%58 flights
- 8am85%116 flights
- 11am87%57 flights
- 12pm81%32 flights
- 1pm75%111 flights
- 2pm58%19 flights
- 3pm77%26 flights
- 4pm91%34 flights
- 5pm87%17 flights
- 6pm70%125 flights
- 7pm54%145 flights
- 8pm64%29 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday74%2.1% cancelled
- Tuesday83%2.3% cancelled
- Wednesday83%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday78%0.7% cancelled
- Friday78%2.7% cancelled
- Saturday76%4.4% cancelled
- Sunday79%1.9% 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 aircraft54%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)21%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion21%
- Extreme weather4%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather89%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)11%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
RDU to MDW: common questions
- How often are RDU to MDW flights on time?
- 79% 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 Raleigh/Durham to Chicago cancelled?
- 2.0% of scheduled flights were cancelled (19 of 961).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 13 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 54 min behind schedule on average, and 5.1% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at RDU?
- Flights on this route spent 11 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: MDW to RDU — 81% on time
More flights from Raleigh/Durham
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: RDU → MDW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.