Washington (DCA) to Chicago (MDW)
Flight time
≈ 2h 00m
Bearing
293° NW
Washington (DCA) to Chicago (MDW) is 599 miles (964 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies DCA–MDW
Filed traffic dataIn June 2026, Southwest Airlines was the only carrier flying nonstop DCA–MDW; the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was the most common aircraft at 43% of departures; flights ran 79% full.
Departures
338
June 2026
Seats
54,058
both directions
Passengers
42,712
both directions
Load factor
79.0%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies DCA–MDW?
Southwest Airlines was the only carrier to fly nonstop DCA–MDW in June 2026 (338 departures).
- WN
338 departures · 54,058 seats
Share of departures100.0%79.0%
Load
What plane flies DCA–MDW?
In June 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew 43% of DCA–MDW departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737 MAX 8
145 departures · 75.4% load
42.9% - Boeing 737-700
134 departures · 85.8% load
39.6% - Boeing 737-800
59 departures · 76.0% load
17.5%
How has DCA–MDW traffic changed?
Nonstop DCA–MDW departures rose from 336 in July 2025 to 338 in June 2026.
Monthly nonstop DCA–MDW traffic, trailing 12 months through June 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
July 2025
336 departures · 40,229 passengers
76.6%
Load
August 2025
356 departures · 41,344 passengers
71.9%
Load
September 2025
352 departures · 35,484 passengers
62.2%
Load
October 2025
362 departures · 40,947 passengers
69.9%
Load
November 2025
314 departures · 31,126 passengers
62.0%
Load
December 2025
345 departures · 32,306 passengers
58.5%
Load
January 2026
334 departures · 21,217 passengers
39.9%
Load
February 2026
309 departures · 22,143 passengers
45.4%
Load
March 2026
346 departures · 35,624 passengers
68.4%
Load
April 2026
343 departures · 37,827 passengers
69.7%
Load
May 2026
356 departures · 43,784 passengers
76.7%
Load
June 2026
338 departures · 42,712 passengers
79.0%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
DCA → MDW
81.7% full
169 departures · 22,040 passengers
MDW → DCA
76.4% full
169 departures · 20,672 passengers
Nonstop DCA–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 Washington (DCA) from Chicago (MDW)?
DCA to MDW is 599 miles (964 km / 521 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from DCA to MDW?
A nonstop covers the 599-mile great-circle distance in roughly 2h 00m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies DCA–MDW?
In June 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew the largest share of departures (42.9%), followed by the Boeing 737-700 (39.6%).
What mileage do I earn flying DCA–MDW?
Distance-based programs credit off the 599-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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