Los Angeles (LAX) to Chicago (MDW)
Flight time
≈ 4h 18m
Bearing
63° NE
Los Angeles (LAX) to Chicago (MDW) is 1,747 miles (2,812 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies LAX–MDW
Filed traffic dataIn May 2026, Southwest Airlines was the only carrier flying nonstop LAX–MDW; the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was the most common aircraft at 50% of departures; flights ran 92% full.
Departures
210
May 2026
Seats
34,508
both directions
Passengers
31,597
both directions
Load factor
91.6%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies LAX–MDW?
Southwest Airlines was the only carrier to fly nonstop LAX–MDW in May 2026 (210 departures).
- WN
210 departures · 34,508 seats
Share of departures100.0%91.6%
Load
What plane flies LAX–MDW?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew 50% of LAX–MDW departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737 MAX 8
105 departures · 91.1% load
50.0% - Boeing 737-700
59 departures · 93.0% load
28.1% - Boeing 737-800
46 departures · 91.3% load
21.9%
How has LAX–MDW traffic changed?
Nonstop LAX–MDW departures fell from 278 in June 2025 to 210 in May 2026.
Monthly nonstop LAX–MDW traffic, trailing 12 months through May 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
June 2025
278 departures · 40,551 passengers
87.0%
Load
July 2025
293 departures · 44,493 passengers
89.5%
Load
August 2025
240 departures · 36,042 passengers
90.1%
Load
September 2025
235 departures · 32,698 passengers
83.7%
Load
October 2025
239 departures · 35,081 passengers
86.2%
Load
November 2025
203 departures · 28,360 passengers
81.3%
Load
December 2025
229 departures · 34,111 passengers
85.5%
Load
January 2026
194 departures · 25,781 passengers
77.2%
Load
February 2026
168 departures · 22,495 passengers
76.7%
Load
March 2026
201 departures · 29,520 passengers
87.1%
Load
April 2026
204 departures · 29,064 passengers
87.0%
Load
May 2026
210 departures · 31,597 passengers
91.6%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
LAX → MDW
92.1% full
106 departures · 16,063 passengers
MDW → LAX
91.1% full
104 departures · 15,534 passengers
Nonstop LAX–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 Los Angeles (LAX) from Chicago (MDW)?
LAX to MDW is 1,747 miles (2,812 km / 1,518 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from LAX to MDW?
A nonstop covers the 1,747-mile great-circle distance in roughly 4h 18m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies LAX–MDW?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew the largest share of departures (50.0%), followed by the Boeing 737-700 (28.1%).
What mileage do I earn flying LAX–MDW?
Distance-based programs credit off the 1,747-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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