Cleveland (CLE) to Chicago (MDW)
Flight time
≈ 1h 25m
Bearing
277° W
Cleveland (CLE) to Chicago (MDW) is 306 miles (492 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies CLE–MDW
Filed traffic dataIn July 2026, Southwest Airlines was the only carrier flying nonstop CLE–MDW; the Boeing 737-700 was the most common aircraft at 48% of departures; flights ran 71% full.
Departures
228
July 2026
Seats
35,758
both directions
Passengers
25,234
both directions
Load factor
70.6%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies CLE–MDW?
Southwest Airlines was the only carrier to fly nonstop CLE–MDW in July 2026 (228 departures).
- WN
228 departures · 35,758 seats
Share of departures100.0%70.6%
Load
What plane flies CLE–MDW?
In July 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew 48% of CLE–MDW departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737-700
109 departures · 72.4% load
47.8% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
85 departures · 69.2% load
37.3% - Boeing 737-800
34 departures · 69.5% load
14.9%
How has CLE–MDW traffic changed?
Nonstop CLE–MDW departures rose from 218 in August 2025 to 228 in July 2026.
Monthly nonstop CLE–MDW traffic, trailing 12 months through July 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
August 2025
218 departures · 27,158 passengers
74.7%
Load
September 2025
216 departures · 25,752 passengers
71.0%
Load
October 2025
191 departures · 20,723 passengers
70.3%
Load
November 2025
163 departures · 15,624 passengers
59.5%
Load
December 2025
179 departures · 17,011 passengers
59.9%
Load
January 2026
143 departures · 10,695 passengers
47.6%
Load
February 2026
142 departures · 12,172 passengers
58.0%
Load
March 2026
165 departures · 17,197 passengers
69.5%
Load
April 2026
174 departures · 17,649 passengers
66.9%
Load
May 2026
175 departures · 18,878 passengers
70.0%
Load
June 2026
215 departures · 24,883 passengers
73.7%
Load
July 2026
228 departures · 25,234 passengers
70.6%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
CLE → MDW
72.2% full
114 departures · 12,804 passengers
MDW → CLE
69.0% full
114 departures · 12,430 passengers
Nonstop CLE–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 Cleveland (CLE) from Chicago (MDW)?
CLE to MDW is 306 miles (492 km / 266 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from CLE to MDW?
A nonstop covers the 306-mile great-circle distance in roughly 1h 25m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies CLE–MDW?
In July 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew the largest share of departures (47.8%), followed by the Boeing 737 MAX 8 (37.3%).
What mileage do I earn flying CLE–MDW?
Distance-based programs credit off the 306-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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