Birmingham (BHM) to Chicago (MDW)
Flight time
≈ 1h 56m
Bearing
355° N
Birmingham (BHM) to Chicago (MDW) is 571 miles (919 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies BHM–MDW
Filed traffic dataIn July 2026, Southwest Airlines was the only carrier flying nonstop BHM–MDW; the Boeing 737-700 was the most common aircraft at 56% of departures; flights ran 80% full.
Departures
62
July 2026
Seats
9,520
both directions
Passengers
7,608
both directions
Load factor
79.9%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies BHM–MDW?
Southwest Airlines was the only carrier to fly nonstop BHM–MDW in July 2026 (62 departures).
- WN
62 departures · 9,520 seats
Share of departures100.0%79.9%
Load
What plane flies BHM–MDW?
In July 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew 56% of BHM–MDW departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737-700
35 departures · 89.1% load
56.5% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
21 departures · 70.0% load
33.9% - Boeing 737-800
6 departures · 72.4% load
9.7%
How has BHM–MDW traffic changed?
Nonstop BHM–MDW departures fell from 94 in August 2025 to 62 in July 2026.
Monthly nonstop BHM–MDW traffic, trailing 12 months through July 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
August 2025
94 departures · 10,099 passengers
68.3%
Load
September 2025
94 departures · 10,795 passengers
73.5%
Load
October 2025
113 departures · 12,508 passengers
74.6%
Load
November 2025
85 departures · 8,483 passengers
63.3%
Load
December 2025
87 departures · 7,625 passengers
54.4%
Load
January 2026
59 departures · 3,710 passengers
37.6%
Load
February 2026
54 departures · 3,839 passengers
45.2%
Load
March 2026
60 departures · 7,089 passengers
69.5%
Load
April 2026
66 departures · 7,257 passengers
67.3%
Load
May 2026
71 departures · 8,084 passengers
69.5%
Load
June 2026
59 departures · 7,022 passengers
77.1%
Load
July 2026
62 departures · 7,608 passengers
79.9%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
BHM → MDW
73.0% full
31 departures · 3,851 passengers
MDW → BHM
88.5% full
31 departures · 3,757 passengers
Nonstop BHM–MDW traffic has been filed since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through July 2026; filings from 2025. Public domain (US Government work).
The airports
Birmingham
US
Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport
Coordinates
33.56°N, 86.75°W
Hemisphere
N · W
Frequently asked
How far is Birmingham (BHM) from Chicago (MDW)?
BHM to MDW is 571 miles (919 km / 496 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from BHM to MDW?
A nonstop covers the 571-mile great-circle distance in roughly 1h 56m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies BHM–MDW?
In July 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew the largest share of departures (56.5%), followed by the Boeing 737 MAX 8 (33.9%).
What mileage do I earn flying BHM–MDW?
Distance-based programs credit off the 571-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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