Nashville (BNA) to Chicago (MDW)
Flight time
≈ 1h 35m
Bearing
352° N
Nashville (BNA) to Chicago (MDW) is 395 miles (636 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies BNA–MDW
Filed traffic dataIn May 2026, Southwest Airlines operated the most departures, one of 2 carriers flying nonstop BNA–MDW; the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was the most common aircraft at 43% of departures; flights ran 71% full.
Departures
345
May 2026
Seats
55,975
both directions
Passengers
39,973
both directions
Load factor
71.4%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies BNA–MDW?
Southwest Airlines operated the most nonstop BNA–MDW departures in May 2026 (343), one of 2 carriers on the route.
- WN
343 departures · 55,959 seats
Share of departures99.4%71.4%
Load
- LF
Contour Airlines
2 departures · 16 seats
Share of departures0.6%12.5%
Load
What plane flies BNA–MDW?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew 43% of BNA–MDW departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737 MAX 8
149 departures · 71.0% load
43.2% - Boeing 737-700
107 departures · 74.8% load
31.0% - Boeing 737-800
87 departures · 69.0% load
25.2% - Cessna 510 Mustang
2 departures · 12.5% load
0.6%
How has BNA–MDW traffic changed?
Nonstop BNA–MDW departures rose from 342 in June 2025 to 345 in May 2026.
Monthly nonstop BNA–MDW traffic, trailing 12 months through May 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
June 2025
342 departures · 41,578 passengers
73.7%
Load
July 2025
346 departures · 43,483 passengers
75.4%
Load
August 2025
333 departures · 43,112 passengers
77.2%
Load
September 2025
320 departures · 41,159 passengers
76.5%
Load
October 2025
342 departures · 42,766 passengers
75.3%
Load
November 2025
314 departures · 34,397 passengers
69.3%
Load
December 2025
303 departures · 32,657 passengers
67.4%
Load
January 2026
253 departures · 21,778 passengers
52.5%
Load
February 2026
246 departures · 22,834 passengers
58.0%
Load
March 2026
337 departures · 36,955 passengers
68.8%
Load
April 2026
330 departures · 35,879 passengers
67.5%
Load
May 2026
345 departures · 39,973 passengers
71.4%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
MDW → BNA
67.3% full
174 departures · 19,219 passengers
BNA → MDW
75.7% full
171 departures · 20,754 passengers
Nonstop BNA–MDW traffic has been filed since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through May 2026; filings from 2025. Public domain (US Government work).
The airports
Frequently asked
How far is Nashville (BNA) from Chicago (MDW)?
BNA to MDW is 395 miles (636 km / 344 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from BNA to MDW?
A nonstop covers the 395-mile great-circle distance in roughly 1h 35m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies BNA–MDW?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew the largest share of departures (43.2%), followed by the Boeing 737-700 (31.0%).
What mileage do I earn flying BNA–MDW?
Distance-based programs credit off the 395-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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