Buffalo (BUF) to Chicago (MDW)
Flight time
≈ 1h 44m
Bearing
263° W
Buffalo (BUF) to Chicago (MDW) is 467 miles (752 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies BUF–MDW
Filed traffic dataIn June 2026, Southwest Airlines was the only carrier flying nonstop BUF–MDW; the Boeing 737-700 was the most common aircraft at 41% of departures; flights ran 88% full.
Departures
175
June 2026
Seats
27,927
both directions
Passengers
24,704
both directions
Load factor
88.5%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies BUF–MDW?
Southwest Airlines was the only carrier to fly nonstop BUF–MDW in June 2026 (175 departures).
- WN
175 departures · 27,927 seats
Share of departures100.0%88.5%
Load
What plane flies BUF–MDW?
In June 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew 41% of BUF–MDW departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737-700
71 departures · 88.2% load
40.6% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
64 departures · 87.8% load
36.6% - Boeing 737-800
40 departures · 90.0% load
22.9%
How has BUF–MDW traffic changed?
Nonstop BUF–MDW departures fell from 191 in July 2025 to 175 in June 2026.
Monthly nonstop BUF–MDW traffic, trailing 12 months through June 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
July 2025
191 departures · 26,405 passengers
81.1%
Load
August 2025
167 departures · 24,631 passengers
89.2%
Load
September 2025
164 departures · 22,226 passengers
82.5%
Load
October 2025
118 departures · 15,983 passengers
85.2%
Load
November 2025
109 departures · 12,952 passengers
74.0%
Load
December 2025
118 departures · 14,249 passengers
75.2%
Load
January 2026
60 departures · 6,751 passengers
71.6%
Load
February 2026
60 departures · 6,465 passengers
74.5%
Load
March 2026
148 departures · 17,369 passengers
76.1%
Load
April 2026
165 departures · 18,944 passengers
76.8%
Load
May 2026
165 departures · 20,813 passengers
83.6%
Load
June 2026
175 departures · 24,704 passengers
88.5%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
BUF → MDW
86.6% full
88 departures · 12,444 passengers
MDW → BUF
90.5% full
87 departures · 12,260 passengers
Nonstop BUF–MDW traffic has been filed since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through June 2026; filings from 2025. Public domain (US Government work).
The airports
Frequently asked
How far is Buffalo (BUF) from Chicago (MDW)?
BUF to MDW is 467 miles (752 km / 406 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from BUF to MDW?
A nonstop covers the 467-mile great-circle distance in roughly 1h 44m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies BUF–MDW?
In June 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew the largest share of departures (40.6%), followed by the Boeing 737 MAX 8 (36.6%).
What mileage do I earn flying BUF–MDW?
Distance-based programs credit off the 467-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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