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 July 2026, Southwest Airlines was the only carrier flying nonstop MDW–MSY; the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was the most common aircraft at 38% of departures; flights ran 78% full.
Departures
181
July 2026
Seats
29,547
both directions
Passengers
22,947
both directions
Load factor
77.7%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies MDW–MSY?
Southwest Airlines was the only carrier to fly nonstop MDW–MSY in July 2026 (181 departures).
- WN
181 departures · 29,547 seats
Share of departures100.0%77.7%
Load
What plane flies MDW–MSY?
In July 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew 38% of MDW–MSY departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737 MAX 8
68 departures · 73.1% load
37.6% - Boeing 737-800
57 departures · 76.2% load
31.5% - Boeing 737-700
56 departures · 86.7% load
30.9%
How has MDW–MSY traffic changed?
Nonstop MDW–MSY departures rose from 169 in August 2025 to 181 in July 2026.
Monthly nonstop MDW–MSY traffic, trailing 12 months through July 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
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
June 2026
178 departures · 21,076 passengers
72.6%
Load
July 2026
181 departures · 22,947 passengers
77.7%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
MDW → MSY
79.0% full
91 departures · 11,501 passengers
MSY → MDW
76.4% full
90 departures · 11,446 passengers
Nonstop MDW–MSY 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
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 July 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew the largest share of departures (37.6%), followed by the Boeing 737-800 (31.5%).
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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