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
US DOT T-100 · filed dataIn April 2026, Southwest Airlines operated the most departures, one of 2 carriers flying nonstop BUF–MDW; the Boeing 737-700 was the most common aircraft at 64% of departures; flights ran 77% full.
Departures
165
April 2026
Seats
24,675
both directions
Passengers
18,944
both directions
Load factor
76.8%
passengers ÷ seats
Who flies BUF–MDW?
Southwest Airlines operated the most nonstop BUF–MDW departures in April 2026 (163), one of 2 carriers on the route.
- WN
Southwest Airlines
163 departures · 24,535 seats
Share of departures98.8%76.8%
Load
- AC
Air Canada
2 departures · 140 seats
Share of departures1.2%76.4%
Load
What plane flies BUF–MDW?
In April 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew 64% of BUF–MDW departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737-700
105 departures · 78.2% load
63.6% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
30 departures · 72.1% load
18.2% - Boeing 737-800
28 departures · 77.7% load
17.0% - Airbus A320
2 departures · 76.4% load
1.2%
How has BUF–MDW traffic changed?
Nonstop BUF–MDW departures rose from 114 in May 2025 to 165 in April 2026.
Monthly nonstop BUF–MDW traffic, trailing 12 months through April 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
May 2025
114 departures · 14,964 passengers
83.9%
Load
June 2025
177 departures · 21,890 passengers
72.5%
Load
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
By direction
The DOT files each direction separately — they rarely match.
MDW → BUF
78.4% full
83 departures · 9,751 passengers
BUF → MDW
75.2% full
82 departures · 9,193 passengers
Nonstop BUF–MDW traffic has been filed with the US DOT since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through April 2026; filings from 2025. Public domain (US Government work). The DOT publishes roughly three months in arrears.
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 April 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew the largest share of departures (63.6%), followed by the Boeing 737 MAX 8 (18.2%).
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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