CVG to MDW flight delays
Cincinnati, KY (CVG) Chicago, IL (MDW) · 249 miles
515 flights · January 2025 – August 2026 · US Bureau of Transportation Statistics
81.51%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
1.17%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
67 min
When late, late by
Average across delayed arrivals
14 min
Delay per flight
Averaged over every flight flown
What the record says about this route
The season swings this route hard. In August it ran 27.1 points more punctual than in June — a difference bigger than the one between the best and worst airlines on most routes. If the date is flexible, it is worth more than the carrier.
The route has been getting worse. The later months run 10.8 points less punctual than the earlier ones. A drift of that size is rarely weather; it is more often an airline adding frequencies faster than the airports can absorb them.
The two directions do not behave alike. MDW to CVG arrives on time 7.5 points less often than the outbound. Delay accumulates through the flying day, so whichever direction is scheduled later tends to carry the worse record — which is an argument for booking the morning departure if the choice exists.
Only Southwest Airlines flies this route in the published record, so there is no choice to weigh — the route's figures and the airline's are the same figures.
Which airline should you fly on this route?
Over January 2025 – August 2026, Southwest Airlines arrived on time most often on CVG to MDW. Flights ran closest to schedule in August and worst in June.
Every airline on CVG to MDW
Ranked by how many flights each one operated. A carrier with fewer than 100 flights in the period is listed but not graded.
| Airline | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 515 | 81.51% | 1.17% | 67 min | C |
Month by month
Share of flights that arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, by month flown.
The return leg
MDW to CVG Chicago back to Cincinnati 74.06% on time DOther routes from Cincinnati
Common questions
Are flights from Cincinnati to Chicago usually delayed?
81.51% of flights on the CVG to MDW route arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, so roughly 2 in every ten arrived late. That is better than the average route in this record.
Which airlines fly from Cincinnati to Chicago?
Only Southwest Airlines appears in the published record on this route, with 515 flights and 81.51% arriving on time.
How often are CVG to MDW flights cancelled?
1.17% of scheduled flights did not operate — about 12 in every thousand. That is in the normal range.
What is the best month to fly Cincinnati to Chicago?
August, when 94.9% of flights arrived on time. The worst was June at 67.8%.
When CVG to MDW flights are late, how late are they?
About 67 minutes on average across the flights that arrived more than 15 minutes behind schedule.
What these figures do and do not tell you
Everything on this page is counted from the flights that actually operated on CVG to MDW during January 2025 – August 2026, as reported by the airlines to the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics. "On time" is the federal definition: arriving at the gate within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.
A route's record is a description of the past, not a forecast. Weather, air traffic control and the aircraft's earlier flights that day drive most delays, and none of them are predictable from a historical rate. What the record does tell you is whether this route runs late more often than others, and which carrier on it has the better history — which is the part you can actually act on when you book.
Cancellations are counted separately from delays because they are a different problem for a traveller: a late flight still gets you there. How the grade is calculated →