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
US DOT T-100 · filed dataIn April 2026, Southwest Airlines operated the most departures, one of 2 carriers flying nonstop DCA–MDW; the Boeing 737-700 was the most common aircraft at 43% of departures; flights ran 70% full.
Departures
343
April 2026
Seats
54,280
both directions
Passengers
37,827
both directions
Load factor
69.7%
passengers ÷ seats
Who flies DCA–MDW?
Southwest Airlines operated the most nonstop DCA–MDW departures in April 2026 (342), one of 2 carriers on the route.
- WN
Southwest Airlines
342 departures · 54,264 seats
Share of departures99.7%69.7%
Load
- LF
Contour Airlines d/b/a One Jet Shuttle
1 departures · 16 seats
Share of departures0.3%43.8%
Load
What plane flies DCA–MDW?
In April 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew 43% of DCA–MDW departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737-700
147 departures · 77.1% load
42.9% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
134 departures · 65.4% load
39.1% - Boeing 737-800
61 departures · 65.1% load
17.8% - Bombardier Challenger 604
1 departures · 43.8% load
0.3%
How has DCA–MDW traffic changed?
Nonstop DCA–MDW departures fell from 349 in May 2025 to 343 in April 2026.
Monthly nonstop DCA–MDW traffic, trailing 12 months through April 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
May 2025
349 departures · 42,564 passengers
78.2%
Load
June 2025
345 departures · 40,902 passengers
76.2%
Load
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
By direction
The DOT files each direction separately — they rarely match.
MDW → DCA
68.5% full
172 departures · 18,681 passengers
DCA → MDW
70.9% full
171 departures · 19,146 passengers
Nonstop DCA–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 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 April 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew the largest share of departures (42.9%), followed by the Boeing 737 MAX 8 (39.1%).
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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