DCA → MDWWashington to Chicago

live

Direct flights from Washington (DCA) to Chicago (MDW): 40 nonstop departures observed each week across 1 airline. 74% of the last 31 tracked flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule. The median arrival is 8 minutes early. No cancellations were recorded across the 36 tracked flights. The nonstop covers 964 km, an estimated 1 hour 44 minutes in the air. Measured by Pro Flight Search from live flight boards at Washington and Chicago. Updated 2 November 2026 at 17:53 UTC.

Today, DCA → MDW

Mon 2 Nov · local times
  1. 06:10 WN1532Southwest Airlines Left 06:22 +12 Landed 07:00 −15
  2. 10:45 WN2070Southwest Airlines Left 10:45 Landed 11:25 −25
  3. 12:40 WN1534Southwest Airlines On scheduleT1 MDW 13:45scheduled
  4. · WN1185Southwest Airlines On schedule MDW 15:45scheduled
  5. · WN1364Southwest Airlines On schedule MDW 19:40scheduled
  6. · WN1856Southwest Airlines On schedule MDW 22:20scheduled

Checked DCA board 10:18 · MDW board 11:53

DCA Washington busy · +15
MDW Chicago smooth · +0
964 km · ~1h 44m est.
dep bank 06:10–20:4040x weekly
Runs mixed · 1 airline · 40x weekly · nonstop
74% on time

of the last 31 tracked DCA → MDW flights arrived within 15 minutes

Median arrival delay is −8 min. 0 of 36 tracked legs cancelled in the sample. Will a delayed flight be cancelled? →

Median arrival−8 minacross the last 31 arrivals
Flight time~1h 44mestimated from route distance
Weekly departures40x1 direct airline on the leg
Cancelled0.0%recent route rate · 0 of 36

The week

scheduled departures · origin local time
06121824
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
Southwest Airlines

Each mark is a scheduled departure at its origin-local time, observed operating in the last 7 days. Today is highlighted.

Who flies it

observed on the boards · 7 days
Southwest AirlinesWN74% on time

Flights WN1532 06:10 Mo Su · WN2276 varies Mo Tu We Th Fr Su · WN1504 09:30 Mo Tu We Th Fr · WN2070 10:45 Mo Su

History

operated legs · board outcomes
11-02WN1532dep +12 → arr−15
11-02WN2070arrived−25
11-01WN1185dep +34 → arr+5
11-01WN1364dep +43 → arr+8
11-01WN1532dep +5 → arr+39
11-01WN1534dep +220 → arr+194
11-01WN1856dep +24 → arr−9
11-01WN2070dep +9 → arr−12
10-31WN3576dep +10 → arr−10
10-31WN980dep +3 → arr−19
10-31WN981dep +8 → arr−11
10-31WN983dep +2 → arr−21
10-30WN1504dep +10 → arr−16
10-30WN1506dep +40 → arr+22
10-30WN1508dep +43 → arr+23
10-30WN2276dep +28 → arr+7
10-30WN2938dep +22 → arr+0
10-30WN818dep +38 → arr+12
10-29WN1504dep +10 → arr−19
10-29WN1506dep +54 → arr+47
10-29WN1508dep +111 → arr+88
10-29WN2276dep +34 → arr+7
10-29WN2938dep +42 → arr+18
10-29WN818dep +45 → arr+20
10-28WN1292dep +31 → arr+1
10-28WN1504dep +19 → arr−12
10-28WN1505dep +12 → arr−15
10-28WN1508dep +8 → arr−21
10-28WN2276dep +20 → arr−8
10-28WN818dep +12 → arr−15
10-27WN1292dep +5 → arr−21
10-27WN1504departed+97
10-27WN1505departed+34
10-27WN1508departed+23
10-27WN2276departed+48
10-27WN818departed+61

Actual board outcomes rather than schedules, paired departure and arrival per flight and day.

Full board history, day by day →

Airports right now

live boards
DCAWashington +15 min busy 🌤 overcast · S 5 kt Full DCA delay board →
MDWChicago +0 min smooth ⛅ overcast · S 12 kt Full MDW delay board →

Weather lens

Conditions are tightest at DCA and MDW: a 39% chance of a 15+ minute delay. In this weather, the more delayed of the two airports is typically about +9 min. Both figures come from the two airports' delay records in similar weather. See live delays → · Weather risk by airport →

How the Washington to Chicago route actually runs

Pro Flight Search records official board updates for nonstop DCA to MDW flights through the day: schedules, estimates, gate pushes and actual departures. The verdict above comes from operated flights, so it reflects what this route does rather than what the timetable promises.

Planning around a delay? Live airport delays · Weather delay risk map · Will a delayed flight be cancelled? · Do planes make up time in the air? · How we measure

Cite this data

Journalists, bloggers, and researchers may cite this page with attribution and a link to Pro Flight Search.

Suggested citation

Pro Flight Search: Washington (DCA) to Chicago (MDW) route reliability, measured from operated flights on official airport boards.

Canonical URL
https://proflightsearch.com/search-flights/DCA-MDW
How we measure this →

DCA to MDW questions

Is DCA–MDW running on time right now?

Mostly on schedule. The departure side at DCA is the weaker end, route health score 77/100. The airports section above carries the live status and delay window at both ends.

Morning or evening flight on DCA–MDW?

Operators schedule morning departures around 06:10 from DCA. Earlier flights typically land before destination-airport delays accumulate later in the day; check the MDW delay card to confirm conditions when you'd arrive.

How long is the flight from DCA to MDW?

Great-circle distance is 964 km. With typical jet cruise speed plus taxi, climb and descent, expect roughly 98–113 min gate-to-gate on this route.

How often does DCA–MDW fly?

Southwest Airlines runs the route with about 40 flights a week (daily). Since one carrier owns the route, a single disruption tends to ripple through the day.