IAH to MDW flight delays
Houston, TX (IAH) Chicago, IL (MDW) · 917 miles
394 flights · July 2024 – July 2026 · US Bureau of Transportation Statistics
68.56%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
1.27%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
85 min
When late, late by
Average across delayed arrivals
28 min
Delay per flight
Averaged over every flight flown
What the record says about this route
The season swings this route hard. In October it ran 28 points more punctual than in September — 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.
This route does worse than its own airport. IAH as a whole runs 9.1 points more punctual than these flights, which points at something specific to the route — the time of day it is scheduled, or the aircraft that feed it — rather than the airport.
Flights from Houston to Chicago run late more often than the average route, though not severely.
Only Frontier 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 July 2024 – July 2026, Frontier Airlines arrived on time most often on IAH to MDW. Flights ran closest to schedule in February and worst in May.
Every airline on IAH 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frontier Airlines | 340 | 66.17% | 0.88% | 88 min | D |
| Southwest Airlines | 54 | 84.31% | 3.7% | 47 min | — |
Month by month
Share of flights that arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, by month flown.
The return leg
MDW to IAH Chicago back to Houston 66.41% on time FOther routes from Houston
Common questions
Are flights from Houston to Chicago usually delayed?
68.56% of flights on the IAH to MDW route arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, so roughly 3 in every ten arrived late. That is worse than the average route in this record.
Which airlines fly from Houston to Chicago?
Only Frontier Airlines appears in the published record on this route, with 340 flights and 66.17% arriving on time.
How often are IAH to MDW flights cancelled?
1.27% of scheduled flights did not operate — about 13 in every thousand. That is in the normal range.
What is the best month to fly Houston to Chicago?
October, when 90.5% of flights arrived on time. The worst was September at 62.5%.
When IAH to MDW flights are late, how late are they?
About 85 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 IAH to MDW during July 2024 – July 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 →