Boston (BOS) to Chicago (MDW)
Flight time
≈ 2h 31m
Bearing
273° W
Boston (BOS) to Chicago (MDW) is 858 miles (1,381 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies BOS–MDW
Filed traffic dataIn July 2026, Southwest Airlines was the only carrier flying nonstop BOS–MDW; the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was the most common aircraft at 53% of departures; flights ran 90% full.
Departures
294
July 2026
Seats
49,740
both directions
Passengers
44,872
both directions
Load factor
90.2%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies BOS–MDW?
Southwest Airlines was the only carrier to fly nonstop BOS–MDW in July 2026 (294 departures).
- WN
294 departures · 49,740 seats
Share of departures100.0%90.2%
Load
What plane flies BOS–MDW?
In July 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew 53% of BOS–MDW departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737 MAX 8
156 departures · 92.6% load
53.1% - Boeing 737-800
93 departures · 89.1% load
31.6% - Boeing 737-700
45 departures · 82.6% load
15.3%
How has BOS–MDW traffic changed?
Nonstop BOS–MDW departures rose from 267 in August 2025 to 294 in July 2026.
Monthly nonstop BOS–MDW traffic, trailing 12 months through July 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
August 2025
267 departures · 41,659 passengers
93.5%
Load
September 2025
254 departures · 36,852 passengers
87.3%
Load
October 2025
276 departures · 40,994 passengers
89.2%
Load
November 2025
168 departures · 24,969 passengers
85.7%
Load
December 2025
183 departures · 25,734 passengers
83.0%
Load
January 2026
133 departures · 16,811 passengers
73.7%
Load
February 2026
120 departures · 15,282 passengers
75.6%
Load
March 2026
221 departures · 29,945 passengers
82.0%
Load
April 2026
238 departures · 33,421 passengers
82.7%
Load
May 2026
246 departures · 36,728 passengers
87.3%
Load
June 2026
279 departures · 40,905 passengers
86.3%
Load
July 2026
294 departures · 44,872 passengers
90.2%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
BOS → MDW
89.8% full
147 departures · 22,225 passengers
MDW → BOS
90.6% full
147 departures · 22,647 passengers
Nonstop BOS–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
Frequently asked
How far is Boston (BOS) from Chicago (MDW)?
BOS to MDW is 858 miles (1,381 km / 746 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from BOS to MDW?
A nonstop covers the 858-mile great-circle distance in roughly 2h 31m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies BOS–MDW?
In July 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew the largest share of departures (53.1%), followed by the Boeing 737-800 (31.6%).
What mileage do I earn flying BOS–MDW?
Distance-based programs credit off the 858-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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