Historical on-time performance
Louisville to Chicago
271 miData through May 2026Source: US DOT · BTS
Flights on SDF–MDW arrive on time 84% of the time over the last 12 months.
On-time rate84%arrived within 15 min
p90 delay30 min1 in 10 flights is worse (tail risk)
Cancelled1.6%of scheduled flights
based on 1,001 flights over the last 12 months. On-time means arriving within 15 minutes (BTS standard).
By airline
How each carrier compares
- Southwest AirlinesOn-time84%Medianon timep9030 minCancel1.6%Flights1,001
Why flights run late
Delay causes
- Airline21%
- Weather1%
- Air traffic (NAS)22%
- Late aircraft57%
- Security0%
Most delay minutes here are attributed to Late aircraft.
When flights don't go
Why flights were cancelled
- Airline13%
- Weather75%
- Air traffic (NAS)13%
- Security0%
Most cancellations here are attributed to Weather. Shares are among 16 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 SDF → 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 — 91% on time.
- Mornings91% on time · p90 5 min · 1,091 flights
- Middays87% on time · p90 20 min · 457 flights
- Afternoons83% on time · p90 30 min · 483 flights
- Evenings80% on time · p90 30 min · 604 flights
- Overnights74% on time · p90 70 min · 434 flights
Best day of week
On-time rates are fairly even by day on this route — ranging from 81% to 90% on time.
- Saturdays90% on time · p90 5 min · 326 flights
- Tuesdays89% on time · p90 15 min · 451 flights
- Wednesdays87% on time · p90 15 min · 452 flights
- Fridays84% on time · p90 25 min · 466 flights
- Thursdays83% on time · p90 30 min · 469 flights
- Sundays82% on time · p90 35 min · 441 flights
- Mondays81% on time · p90 30 min · 464 flights
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