SFO to MDW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from San Francisco International Airport to Chicago Midway International Airport · 1,855 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SFO or MDW right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from San Francisco (SFO) to Chicago (MDW) arrived on time 73% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1.2% 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 (89% on time); around 11pm did worst (49%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (88% on time) and Sunday the least (59%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (66%).
Which airline is most on time from SFO 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 | 73% | 1.2% | 12 min | 5.9% | 485 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am89%143 flights
- 6am89%102 flights
- 7am84%25 flights
- 8am72%18 flights
- 10am64%40 flights
- 11pm49%149 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday74%1.4% cancelled
- Tuesday88%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday76%1.6% cancelled
- Thursday74%2.8% cancelled
- Friday70%1.4% cancelled
- Saturday72%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday59%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 aircraft66%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion17%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)16%
- Security1%
- Extreme weather0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather50%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)33%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion17%
- Security0%
SFO to MDW: common questions
- How often are SFO to MDW flights on time?
- 73% 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 San Francisco to Chicago cancelled?
- 1.2% of scheduled flights were cancelled (6 of 485).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 12 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 41 min behind schedule on average, and 5.9% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at SFO?
- Flights on this route spent 18 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: MDW to SFO — 48% on time
More flights from San Francisco
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: SFO → MDW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.