Chicago (MDW) to New Orleans (MSY)
Flight time
≈ 2h 27m
Bearing
191° S
Chicago (MDW) to New Orleans (MSY) is 827 miles (1,330 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies MDW–MSY
Filed traffic dataIn May 2026, Southwest Airlines was the only carrier flying nonstop MDW–MSY; the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was the most common aircraft at 56% of departures; flights ran 75% full.
Departures
185
May 2026
Seats
31,349
both directions
Passengers
23,433
both directions
Load factor
74.8%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies MDW–MSY?
Southwest Airlines was the only carrier to fly nonstop MDW–MSY in May 2026 (185 departures).
- WN
185 departures · 31,349 seats
Share of departures100.0%74.8%
Load
What plane flies MDW–MSY?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew 56% of MDW–MSY departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737 MAX 8
104 departures · 72.2% load
56.2% - Boeing 737-800
54 departures · 75.9% load
29.2% - Boeing 737-700
27 departures · 84.5% load
14.6%
How has MDW–MSY traffic changed?
Nonstop MDW–MSY departures fell from 189 in June 2025 to 185 in May 2026.
Monthly nonstop MDW–MSY traffic, trailing 12 months through May 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
June 2025
189 departures · 24,815 passengers
78.8%
Load
July 2025
196 departures · 26,400 passengers
80.1%
Load
August 2025
169 departures · 24,268 passengers
84.7%
Load
September 2025
161 departures · 23,639 passengers
86.1%
Load
October 2025
194 departures · 26,211 passengers
81.3%
Load
November 2025
151 departures · 18,224 passengers
72.2%
Load
December 2025
162 departures · 18,298 passengers
68.8%
Load
January 2026
131 departures · 14,173 passengers
63.3%
Load
February 2026
134 departures · 15,287 passengers
67.0%
Load
March 2026
180 departures · 21,188 passengers
71.4%
Load
April 2026
178 departures · 21,307 passengers
70.9%
Load
May 2026
185 departures · 23,433 passengers
74.8%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
MDW → MSY
70.7% full
93 departures · 11,267 passengers
MSY → MDW
78.9% full
92 departures · 12,166 passengers
Nonstop MDW–MSY 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
New Orleans
US
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport
Coordinates
29.99°N, 90.26°W
Hemisphere
N · W
Frequently asked
How far is Chicago (MDW) from New Orleans (MSY)?
MDW to MSY is 827 miles (1,330 km / 718 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from MDW to MSY?
A nonstop covers the 827-mile great-circle distance in roughly 2h 27m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies MDW–MSY?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew the largest share of departures (56.2%), followed by the Boeing 737-800 (29.2%).
What mileage do I earn flying MDW–MSY?
Distance-based programs credit off the 827-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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