Historical on-time performance
Philadelphia to Chicago
668 miData through May 2026Source: US DOT · BTS
Flights on PHL–MDW arrive on time 71% of the time over the last 12 months.
On-time rate71%arrived within 15 min
p90 delay55 min1 in 10 flights is worse (tail risk)
Cancelled1.4%of scheduled flights
based on 1,445 flights over the last 12 months. On-time means arriving within 15 minutes (BTS standard).
By airline
How each carrier compares
- Southwest AirlinesOn-time71%Medianon timep9055 minCancel1.4%Flights1,445
Why flights run late
Delay causes
- Airline24%
- Weather3%
- Air traffic (NAS)24%
- Late aircraft49%
- Security0%
Most delay minutes here are attributed to Late aircraft.
When flights don't go
Why flights were cancelled
- Airline5%
- Weather75%
- Air traffic (NAS)20%
- Security0%
Most cancellations here are attributed to Weather. Shares are among 20 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 PHL → 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 — 87% on time.
- Mornings87% on time · p90 15 min · 1,282 flights
- Middays81% on time · p90 30 min · 1,394 flights
- Afternoons75% on time · p90 55 min · 743 flights
- Overnights59% on time · p90 90 min · 514 flights
- Evenings54% on time · p90 85 min · 1,024 flights
Best day of week
On-time rates are fairly even by day on this route — ranging from 70% to 79% on time.
- Tuesdays79% on time · p90 30 min · 671 flights
- Wednesdays78% on time · p90 30 min · 687 flights
- Saturdays75% on time · p90 40 min · 542 flights
- Thursdays72% on time · p90 55 min · 751 flights
- Mondays72% on time · p90 70 min · 778 flights
- Fridays71% on time · p90 60 min · 775 flights
- Sundays70% on time · p90 65 min · 753 flights
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