SDF to MDW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport to Chicago Midway International Airport · 271 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SDF or MDW right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Louisville (SDF) to Chicago (MDW) arrived on time 85% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 1.7% were cancelled, and 4% arrived an hour or more late.
- Southwest Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 7am did best (94% on time); around 7pm did worst (77%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (87% on time) and Sunday the least (83%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (52%).
Which airline is most on time from SDF 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 | 85% | 1.7% | 10 min | 4.0% | 977 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am90%180 flights
- 7am94%36 flights
- 8am91%136 flights
- 11am84%38 flights
- 1pm89%88 flights
- 2pm80%50 flights
- 3pm80%61 flights
- 4pm85%49 flights
- 6pm89%37 flights
- 7pm77%151 flights
- 8pm78%125 flights
- 9pm93%14 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday83%3.4% cancelled
- Tuesday85%1.4% cancelled
- Wednesday87%0.7% cancelled
- Thursday84%2.0% cancelled
- Friday86%1.4% cancelled
- Saturday87%1.9% cancelled
- Sunday83%1.4% 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%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion26%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)20%
- Extreme weather1%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather71%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)18%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion12%
- Security0%
SDF to MDW: common questions
- How often are SDF to MDW flights on time?
- 85% 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 Louisville to Chicago cancelled?
- 1.7% of scheduled flights were cancelled (17 of 977).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 10 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 60 min behind schedule on average, and 4.0% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at SDF?
- Flights on this route spent 13 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: MDW to SDF — 83% on time
More flights from Louisville
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: SDF → MDW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.