MDW to CLE flight delays
Chicago, IL (MDW) Cleveland, OH (CLE) · 307 miles
109 flights · March 2025 – August 2026 · US Bureau of Transportation Statistics
76.64%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
1.83%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
69 min
When late, late by
Average across delayed arrivals
18 min
Delay per flight
Averaged over every flight flown
What the record says about this route
This route does better than its own airport. Departures from MDW overall run 16 points less punctual than this particular one — so whatever congestion MDW has, this route is largely escaping it.
The two directions do not behave alike. CLE to MDW arrives on time 5.6 points more 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.
The Chicago to Cleveland route sits close to the middle of the record — neither notably punctual nor notably late.
Which airline should you fly on this route?
Over March 2025 – August 2026, Southwest Airlines arrived on time most often on MDW to CLE.
Every airline on MDW to CLE
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 | 109 | 76.64% | 1.83% | 69 min | C |
The return leg
CLE to MDW Cleveland back to Chicago 82.24% on time BOther routes from Chicago
Common questions
Are flights from Chicago to Cleveland usually delayed?
76.64% of flights on the MDW to CLE route arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, so roughly 2 in every ten arrived late. That is about the same as the average route in this record.
Which airlines fly from Chicago to Cleveland?
Only Southwest Airlines appears in the published record on this route, with 109 flights and 76.64% arriving on time.
How often are MDW to CLE flights cancelled?
1.83% of scheduled flights did not operate — about 18 in every thousand. That is in the normal range.
When MDW to CLE flights are late, how late are they?
About 69 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 MDW to CLE during March 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 →