Chicago (MDW) to Louisville (SDF)
Flight time
≈ 1h 21m
Bearing
156° SE
Chicago (MDW) to Louisville (SDF) is 272 miles (437 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies MDW–SDF
US DOT T-100 · filed dataIn April 2026, Southwest Airlines was the only carrier flying nonstop MDW–SDF; the Boeing 737-700 was the most common aircraft at 58% of departures; flights ran 60% full.
Departures
172
April 2026
Seats
26,300
both directions
Passengers
15,885
both directions
Load factor
60.4%
passengers ÷ seats
Who flies MDW–SDF?
Southwest Airlines was the only carrier to fly nonstop MDW–SDF in April 2026 (172 departures).
- WN
Southwest Airlines
172 departures · 26,300 seats
Share of departures100.0%60.4%
Load
What plane flies MDW–SDF?
In April 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew 58% of MDW–SDF departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737-700
100 departures · 66.2% load
58.1% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
46 departures · 49.1% load
26.7% - Boeing 737-800
26 departures · 63.0% load
15.1%
How has MDW–SDF traffic changed?
Nonstop MDW–SDF departures fell from 176 in May 2025 to 172 in April 2026.
Monthly nonstop MDW–SDF traffic, trailing 12 months through April 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
May 2025
176 departures · 17,791 passengers
64.1%
Load
June 2025
206 departures · 23,030 passengers
70.9%
Load
July 2025
204 departures · 21,661 passengers
66.7%
Load
August 2025
179 departures · 18,259 passengers
63.3%
Load
September 2025
172 departures · 21,350 passengers
77.4%
Load
October 2025
176 departures · 20,980 passengers
78.1%
Load
November 2025
147 departures · 12,257 passengers
53.8%
Load
December 2025
157 departures · 11,345 passengers
47.1%
Load
January 2026
121 departures · 8,023 passengers
40.8%
Load
February 2026
111 departures · 8,611 passengers
48.6%
Load
March 2026
171 departures · 15,413 passengers
58.0%
Load
April 2026
172 departures · 15,885 passengers
60.4%
Load
By direction
The DOT files each direction separately — they rarely match.
SDF → MDW
61.0% full
87 departures · 7,892 passengers
MDW → SDF
59.9% full
85 departures · 7,993 passengers
Nonstop MDW–SDF traffic has been filed with the US DOT since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through April 2026; filings from 2025. Public domain (US Government work). The DOT publishes roughly three months in arrears.
The airports
Louisville
US
Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport
Coordinates
38.17°N, 85.74°W
Hemisphere
N · W
Frequently asked
How far is Chicago (MDW) from Louisville (SDF)?
MDW to SDF is 272 miles (437 km / 236 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from MDW to SDF?
A nonstop covers the 272-mile great-circle distance in roughly 1h 21m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies MDW–SDF?
In April 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew the largest share of departures (58.1%), followed by the Boeing 737 MAX 8 (26.7%).
What mileage do I earn flying MDW–SDF?
Distance-based programs credit off the 272-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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