Historical on-time performance
New Orleans to Chicago
825 miData through May 2026Source: US DOT · BTS
Flights on MSY–MDW arrive on time 76% of the time over the last 12 months.
On-time rate76%arrived within 15 min
p90 delay35 min1 in 10 flights is worse (tail risk)
Cancelled1.0%of scheduled flights
based on 1,023 flights over the last 12 months. On-time means arriving within 15 minutes (BTS standard).
By airline
How each carrier compares
- Southwest AirlinesOn-time76%Medianon timep9035 minCancel1.0%Flights1,023
Why flights run late
Delay causes
- Airline24%
- Weather4%
- Air traffic (NAS)11%
- Late aircraft60%
- Security1%
Most delay minutes here are attributed to Late aircraft.
When flights don't go
Why flights were cancelled
- Airline10%
- Weather80%
- Air traffic (NAS)10%
- Security0%
Most cancellations here are attributed to Weather. Shares are among 10 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 MSY → MDW
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 — 93% on time.
- Mornings93% on time · p90 5 min · 1,138 flights
- Middays85% on time · p90 20 min · 564 flights
- Afternoons75% on time · p90 35 min · 602 flights
- Overnights68% on time · p90 55 min · 295 flights
- Evenings59% on time · p90 65 min · 456 flights
Best day of week
On-time rates are fairly even by day on this route — ranging from 77% to 86% on time.
- Tuesdays86% on time · p90 20 min · 399 flights
- Saturdays84% on time · p90 20 min · 388 flights
- Wednesdays83% on time · p90 20 min · 396 flights
- Mondays79% on time · p90 30 min · 437 flights
- Thursdays78% on time · p90 30 min · 434 flights
- Sundays78% on time · p90 40 min · 552 flights
- Fridays77% on time · p90 35 min · 449 flights
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