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 July 2026, Southwest Airlines operated the most departures, one of 3 carriers flying nonstop LAX–MDW; the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was the most common aircraft at 54% of departures; flights ran 92% full.
Departures
233
July 2026
Seats
38,347
both directions
Passengers
35,321
both directions
Load factor
92.1%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies LAX–MDW?
Southwest Airlines operated the most nonstop LAX–MDW departures in July 2026 (231), one of 3 carriers on the route.
- WN
231 departures · 38,259 seats
Share of departures99.1%92.2%
Load
- 27Q
1 departures · 16 seats
Share of departures0.4%25.0%
Load
- DL
1 departures · 72 seats
Share of departures0.4%87.5%
Load
What plane flies LAX–MDW?
In July 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew 54% of LAX–MDW departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737 MAX 8
126 departures · 91.5% load
54.1% - Boeing 737-700
57 departures · 94.8% load
24.5% - Boeing 737-800
48 departures · 91.4% load
20.6% - Boeing 757-200
1 departures · 87.5% load
0.4% - Embraer Legacy 600
1 departures · 25.0% load
0.4%
How has LAX–MDW traffic changed?
Nonstop LAX–MDW departures fell from 240 in August 2025 to 233 in July 2026.
Monthly nonstop LAX–MDW traffic, trailing 12 months through July 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
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
June 2026
217 departures · 33,559 passengers
93.5%
Load
July 2026
233 departures · 35,321 passengers
92.1%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
MDW → LAX
90.9% full
118 departures · 17,974 passengers
LAX → MDW
93.4% full
115 departures · 17,347 passengers
Nonstop LAX–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 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 July 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew the largest share of departures (54.1%), followed by the Boeing 737-700 (24.5%).
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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