Flights Memphis → Chicago
MEM → MDW
Route overview
The flight route from Memphis to Chicago has a 79% on-time performance rate, with an average delay of 6.7 minutes when flights are not on time. Over the course of a year, this route sees 163 total flights, connecting two major cities with significant air traffic, particularly given that Chicago's airport serves nearly 19.9 million passengers annually.
Your rights on this US flight (DOT)
US flights have no statutory cash compensation for delays. Under the US DOT rules, if your flight is cancelled or significantly changed and you decline rebooking, you're owed an automatic refund of the unused ticket. The tarmac-delay limit is 3 hours (domestic) / 4 hours (international). Amenities for controllable delays depend on each airline's contract of carriage.
US flight refund rules & checker →General information, not legal advice.
The Memphis (MEM) → Chicago (MDW) route is operated by Southwest Airlines. Across 214 flights monitored in recent months, 81% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 6 minutes. The cancellation rate is 4.21%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 23.8/100 (medium), updated in real time from weather, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel and flight history. At Chicago the average ATFM delay is 2.0 minutes (main cause: atfm). Departing from Memphis the average ATFM delay is 2.0 minutes.
Heading to Chicago: what to expect in this direction
Flying from Memphis (MEM) to Chicago (MDW) heads north for about 774 km, a flight time of roughly 1h 23m.
Departures from Memphis on this leg cluster in the morning window: about 50% of MEM-MDW flights take off then.
Air-traffic congestion: departing Memphis the average ATFM delay is 2.0 min (atfm); arriving into Chicago it is 2.0 min (atfm).
Across 214 tracked MEM-MDW flights, 81% left on time with an average delay of 6 min and a 4.2% cancellation rate.
Route facts
Flights on this route
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Airline punctuality on this route
| Airline | On-time | Average delay | Cancellations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines (WN) | 73% | 6 min | 3.1% |
Airlines operating MEM-MDW
Airports
Frequently asked questions about MEM-MDW
On the Memphis (MEM) -> Chicago (MDW) route, on-time performance is 81% with an average delay of 6 minutes, based on 214 tracked flights.
The cancellation rate on Memphis-Chicago is 4.21% across 214 monitored flights.
The route is operated by 1 airline: Southwest Airlines.
Enter your flight number on FlightGuard for a real-time analysis based on 9 factors: weather at Chicago, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel, airline punctuality and recent trends.
US flights have no statutory cash compensation for delays. Under US DOT rules, if the airline cancels or significantly changes your flight and you decline rebooking, you're owed an automatic refund of the unused ticket. The tarmac-delay limit is 3 hours (domestic) / 4 hours (international). Meals or hotels for controllable delays depend on each airline's contract of carriage.
