Historical on-time performance
Chicago to Washington
601 miData through May 2026Source: US DOT · BTS
Flights on MDW–DCA arrive on time 68% of the time over the last 12 months.
On-time rate68%arrived within 15 min
p90 delay55 min1 in 10 flights is worse (tail risk)
Cancelled2.1%of scheduled flights
based on 2,104 flights over the last 12 months. On-time means arriving within 15 minutes (BTS standard).
By airline
How each carrier compares
- Southwest AirlinesOn-time68%Medianon timep9055 minCancel2.1%Flights2,104
Why flights run late
Delay causes
- Airline24%
- Weather2%
- Air traffic (NAS)40%
- Late aircraft35%
- Security0%
Most delay minutes here are attributed to Air traffic (NAS).
When flights don't go
Why flights were cancelled
- Airline11%
- Weather62%
- Air traffic (NAS)27%
- Security0%
Most cancellations here are attributed to Weather. Shares are among 45 cancellations with a reported cause (BTS reports causes from June 2003).
Over time
On-time trend
By season
On-time rate by month
When to fly
Best time to fly MDW → DCA
All airlines · rolling 36 months (2023-06 .. 2026-05).
Best time of day
Mornings are the most reliable time of day to fly this route — 89% on time.
- Mornings89% on time · p90 15 min · 1,999 flights
- Middays74% on time · p90 40 min · 1,365 flights
- Afternoons67% on time · p90 55 min · 1,001 flights
- Overnights64% on time · p90 65 min · 601 flights
- Evenings60% on time · p90 65 min · 1,371 flights
Best day of week
On-time rates are fairly even by day on this route — ranging from 70% to 79% on time.
- Saturdays79% on time · p90 35 min · 761 flights
- Wednesdays77% on time · p90 35 min · 934 flights
- Tuesdays74% on time · p90 40 min · 932 flights
- Mondays73% on time · p90 40 min · 928 flights
- Thursdays73% on time · p90 50 min · 927 flights
- Fridays71% on time · p90 55 min · 929 flights
- Sundays70% on time · p90 45 min · 926 flights
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