Baltimore (BWI) to Chicago (MDW)
Flight time
≈ 2h 01m
Bearing
291° W
Baltimore (BWI) to Chicago (MDW) is 609 miles (981 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
Look up a route, or build a trip
Change the airports, or add stops for a multi-leg trip.
What actually flies BWI–MDW
US DOT T-100 · filed dataIn April 2026, Southwest Airlines operated the most departures, one of 2 carriers flying nonstop BWI–MDW; the Boeing 737-700 was the most common aircraft at 37% of departures; flights ran 74% full.
Departures
265
April 2026
Seats
42,713
both directions
Passengers
31,612
both directions
Load factor
74.0%
passengers ÷ seats
Who flies BWI–MDW?
Southwest Airlines operated the most nonstop BWI–MDW departures in April 2026 (264), one of 2 carriers on the route.
- WN
Southwest Airlines
264 departures · 42,514 seats
Share of departures99.6%74.2%
Load
- DL
Delta Air Lines
1 departures · 199 seats
Share of departures0.4%35.2%
Load
What plane flies BWI–MDW?
In April 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew 37% of BWI–MDW departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737-700
97 departures · 78.5% load
36.6% - Boeing 737-800
88 departures · 71.8% load
33.2% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
79 departures · 72.6% load
29.8% - Boeing 757-200
1 departures · 35.2% load
0.4%
How has BWI–MDW traffic changed?
Nonstop BWI–MDW departures fell from 346 in May 2025 to 265 in April 2026.
Monthly nonstop BWI–MDW traffic, trailing 12 months through April 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
May 2025
346 departures · 46,576 passengers
81.8%
Load
June 2025
360 departures · 47,907 passengers
79.8%
Load
July 2025
365 departures · 48,112 passengers
79.5%
Load
August 2025
366 departures · 48,939 passengers
79.5%
Load
September 2025
362 departures · 43,977 passengers
71.9%
Load
October 2025
370 departures · 46,475 passengers
76.2%
Load
November 2025
292 departures · 34,507 passengers
71.9%
Load
December 2025
278 departures · 32,682 passengers
73.1%
Load
January 2026
242 departures · 22,809 passengers
59.1%
Load
February 2026
226 departures · 22,478 passengers
61.8%
Load
March 2026
241 departures · 28,416 passengers
73.8%
Load
April 2026
265 departures · 31,612 passengers
74.0%
Load
By direction
The DOT files each direction separately — they rarely match.
MDW → BWI
71.7% full
135 departures · 16,040 passengers
BWI → MDW
76.5% full
130 departures · 15,572 passengers
Nonstop BWI–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
Baltimore
US
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
Coordinates
39.18°N, 76.67°W
Hemisphere
N · W
Frequently asked
How far is Baltimore (BWI) from Chicago (MDW)?
BWI to MDW is 609 miles (981 km / 529 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from BWI to MDW?
A nonstop covers the 609-mile great-circle distance in roughly 2h 01m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies BWI–MDW?
In April 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew the largest share of departures (36.6%), followed by the Boeing 737-800 (33.2%).
What mileage do I earn flying BWI–MDW?
Distance-based programs credit off the 609-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
Keep exploring
Every route below is its own page.
Other routes from BWI
Popular long-haul routes