Chicago (MDW) to Raleigh/Durham (RDU)
Flight time
≈ 2h 04m
Bearing
127° SE
Chicago (MDW) to Raleigh/Durham (RDU) is 631 miles (1,016 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies MDW–RDU
Filed traffic dataIn May 2026, Southwest Airlines was the only carrier flying nonstop MDW–RDU; the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was the most common aircraft at 37% of departures; flights ran 81% full.
Departures
159
May 2026
Seats
25,659
both directions
Passengers
20,792
both directions
Load factor
81.0%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies MDW–RDU?
Southwest Airlines was the only carrier to fly nonstop MDW–RDU in May 2026 (159 departures).
- WN
159 departures · 25,659 seats
Share of departures100.0%81.0%
Load
What plane flies MDW–RDU?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew 37% of MDW–RDU departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737 MAX 8
59 departures · 74.9% load
37.1% - Boeing 737-700
57 departures · 89.5% load
35.9% - Boeing 737-800
43 departures · 80.7% load
27.0%
How has MDW–RDU traffic changed?
Nonstop MDW–RDU departures fell from 219 in June 2025 to 159 in May 2026.
Monthly nonstop MDW–RDU traffic, trailing 12 months through May 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
June 2025
219 departures · 27,360 passengers
74.3%
Load
July 2025
231 departures · 27,969 passengers
72.3%
Load
August 2025
185 departures · 23,793 passengers
79.2%
Load
September 2025
180 departures · 21,637 passengers
74.8%
Load
October 2025
160 departures · 20,818 passengers
78.7%
Load
November 2025
164 departures · 17,072 passengers
63.2%
Load
December 2025
178 departures · 20,154 passengers
67.6%
Load
January 2026
122 departures · 10,362 passengers
50.0%
Load
February 2026
110 departures · 9,023 passengers
48.1%
Load
March 2026
123 departures · 15,549 passengers
75.7%
Load
April 2026
145 departures · 18,539 passengers
80.0%
Load
May 2026
159 departures · 20,792 passengers
81.0%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
MDW → RDU
79.0% full
80 departures · 10,342 passengers
RDU → MDW
83.1% full
79 departures · 10,450 passengers
Nonstop MDW–RDU 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 Chicago (MDW) from Raleigh/Durham (RDU)?
MDW to RDU is 631 miles (1,016 km / 549 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from MDW to RDU?
A nonstop covers the 631-mile great-circle distance in roughly 2h 04m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies MDW–RDU?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew the largest share of departures (37.1%), followed by the Boeing 737-700 (35.9%).
What mileage do I earn flying MDW–RDU?
Distance-based programs credit off the 631-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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