Long Beach (LGB) to Chicago (MDW)
Flight time
≈ 4h 17m
Bearing
63° NE
Long Beach (LGB) to Chicago (MDW) is 1,738 miles (2,797 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies LGB–MDW
Filed traffic dataIn May 2026, Southwest Airlines operated the most departures, one of 2 carriers flying nonstop LGB–MDW; the Boeing 737-800 was the most common aircraft at 36% of departures; flights ran 90% full.
Departures
50
May 2026
Seats
8,260
both directions
Passengers
7,412
both directions
Load factor
89.7%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies LGB–MDW?
Southwest Airlines operated the most nonstop LGB–MDW departures in May 2026 (49), one of 2 carriers on the route.
- WN
49 departures · 8,081 seats
Share of departures98.0%90.6%
Load
- UA
1 departures · 179 seats
Share of departures2.0%49.7%
Load
What plane flies LGB–MDW?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737-800 flew 36% of LGB–MDW departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737-800
18 departures · 93.9% load
36.0% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
18 departures · 88.0% load
36.0% - Boeing 737-700
13 departures · 89.4% load
26.0% - Boeing 737 MAX 9
1 departures · 49.7% load
2.0%
How has LGB–MDW traffic changed?
Nonstop LGB–MDW departures fell from 60 in June 2025 to 50 in May 2026.
Monthly nonstop LGB–MDW traffic, trailing 12 months through May 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
June 2025
60 departures · 8,260 passengers
82.2%
Load
July 2025
62 departures · 8,900 passengers
86.6%
Load
August 2025
61 departures · 8,235 passengers
82.6%
Load
September 2025
61 departures · 7,474 passengers
75.9%
Load
October 2025
62 departures · 8,384 passengers
82.1%
Load
November 2025
56 departures · 7,396 passengers
79.1%
Load
December 2025
62 departures · 8,555 passengers
80.3%
Load
January 2026
10 departures · 1,456 passengers
86.4%
Load
February 2026
0 departures · 0 passengers
—
Load
March 2026
43 departures · 5,984 passengers
89.5%
Load
April 2026
51 departures · 7,338 passengers
87.8%
Load
May 2026
50 departures · 7,412 passengers
89.7%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
LGB → MDW
91.2% full
25 departures · 3,994 passengers
MDW → LGB
88.1% full
25 departures · 3,418 passengers
Nonstop LGB–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 Long Beach (LGB) from Chicago (MDW)?
LGB to MDW is 1,738 miles (2,797 km / 1,510 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from LGB to MDW?
A nonstop covers the 1,738-mile great-circle distance in roughly 4h 17m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies LGB–MDW?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737-800 flew the largest share of departures (36.0%), followed by the Boeing 737 MAX 8 (36.0%).
What mileage do I earn flying LGB–MDW?
Distance-based programs credit off the 1,738-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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