Columbus (CMH) to Chicago (MDW)
Flight time
≈ 1h 22m
Bearing
298° NW
Columbus (CMH) to Chicago (MDW) is 282 miles (454 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 CMH–MDW
Filed traffic dataIn May 2026, Southwest Airlines operated the most departures, one of 2 carriers flying nonstop CMH–MDW; the Boeing 737-700 was the most common aircraft at 55% of departures; flights ran 79% full.
Departures
185
May 2026
Seats
28,474
both directions
Passengers
22,569
both directions
Load factor
79.3%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies CMH–MDW?
Southwest Airlines operated the most nonstop CMH–MDW departures in May 2026 (184), one of 2 carriers on the route.
- WN
184 departures · 28,324 seats
Share of departures99.5%79.7%
Load
- GCA
1 departures · 150 seats
Share of departures0.5%0.0%
Load
What plane flies CMH–MDW?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew 55% of CMH–MDW departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737-700
102 departures · 84.5% load
55.1% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
60 departures · 75.0% load
32.4% - Boeing 737-800
22 departures · 74.9% load
11.9% - Airbus A320
1 departures · 0.0% load
0.5%
How has CMH–MDW traffic changed?
Nonstop CMH–MDW departures fell from 249 in June 2025 to 185 in May 2026.
Monthly nonstop CMH–MDW traffic, trailing 12 months through May 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
June 2025
249 departures · 28,585 passengers
71.5%
Load
July 2025
259 departures · 28,623 passengers
68.6%
Load
August 2025
241 departures · 29,777 passengers
76.0%
Load
September 2025
232 departures · 29,872 passengers
79.1%
Load
October 2025
238 departures · 26,284 passengers
69.9%
Load
November 2025
197 departures · 19,557 passengers
61.4%
Load
December 2025
212 departures · 20,742 passengers
60.4%
Load
January 2026
172 departures · 15,213 passengers
54.5%
Load
February 2026
166 departures · 15,824 passengers
62.6%
Load
March 2026
173 departures · 19,645 passengers
69.5%
Load
April 2026
178 departures · 20,209 passengers
73.1%
Load
May 2026
185 departures · 22,569 passengers
79.3%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
MDW → CMH
78.9% full
93 departures · 11,018 passengers
CMH → MDW
79.6% full
92 departures · 11,551 passengers
Nonstop CMH–MDW traffic has been filed since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through May 2026; filings from 2025. Public domain (US Government work).
The airports
Frequently asked
How far is Columbus (CMH) from Chicago (MDW)?
CMH to MDW is 282 miles (454 km / 245 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from CMH to MDW?
A nonstop covers the 282-mile great-circle distance in roughly 1h 22m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies CMH–MDW?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew the largest share of departures (55.1%), followed by the Boeing 737 MAX 8 (32.4%).
What mileage do I earn flying CMH–MDW?
Distance-based programs credit off the 282-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.
Popular long-haul routes