Lexington (LEX) to Chicago (ORD)
Flight time
≈ 1h 27m
Bearing
328° NW
Lexington (LEX) to Chicago (ORD) is 324 miles (521 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies LEX–ORD
Filed traffic dataIn July 2026, SkyWest Airlines operated the most departures, one of 2 carriers flying nonstop LEX–ORD; the Bombardier CRJ-550 was the most common aircraft at 45% of departures; flights ran 82% full.
Departures
405
July 2026
Seats
24,145
both directions
Passengers
19,803
both directions
Load factor
82.0%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies LEX–ORD?
SkyWest Airlines operated the most nonstop LEX–ORD departures in July 2026 (238), one of 2 carriers on the route.
- OO
238 departures · 15,795 seats
Share of departures58.8%79.4%
Load
- G7
167 departures · 8,350 seats
Share of departures41.2%87.0%
Load
What plane flies LEX–ORD?
In July 2026, the Bombardier CRJ-550 flew 45% of LEX–ORD departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Bombardier CRJ-550
182 departures · 86.9% load
44.9% - Bombardier CRJ-700
173 departures · 78.6% load
42.7% - Embraer E175
50 departures · 80.4% load
12.3%
How has LEX–ORD traffic changed?
Nonstop LEX–ORD departures fell from 413 in August 2025 to 405 in July 2026.
Monthly nonstop LEX–ORD traffic, trailing 12 months through July 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
August 2025
413 departures · 21,170 passengers
81.4%
Load
September 2025
418 departures · 23,197 passengers
86.2%
Load
October 2025
485 departures · 26,737 passengers
84.0%
Load
November 2025
386 departures · 17,931 passengers
74.2%
Load
December 2025
360 departures · 16,779 passengers
74.7%
Load
January 2026
320 departures · 13,738 passengers
71.1%
Load
February 2026
352 departures · 16,514 passengers
78.0%
Load
March 2026
411 departures · 19,391 passengers
76.6%
Load
April 2026
492 departures · 24,354 passengers
77.8%
Load
May 2026
564 departures · 23,943 passengers
74.4%
Load
June 2026
403 departures · 18,905 passengers
83.1%
Load
July 2026
405 departures · 19,803 passengers
82.0%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
LEX → ORD
80.8% full
204 departures · 9,829 passengers
ORD → LEX
83.3% full
201 departures · 9,974 passengers
Nonstop LEX–ORD 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 Lexington (LEX) from Chicago (ORD)?
LEX to ORD is 324 miles (521 km / 281 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from LEX to ORD?
A nonstop covers the 324-mile great-circle distance in roughly 1h 27m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies LEX–ORD?
In July 2026, the Bombardier CRJ-550 flew the largest share of departures (44.9%), followed by the Bombardier CRJ-700 (42.7%).
What mileage do I earn flying LEX–ORD?
Distance-based programs credit off the 324-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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