Chicago (MDW) to Seattle (SEA)
Flight time
≈ 4h 15m
Bearing
295° NW
Chicago (MDW) to Seattle (SEA) is 1,729 miles (2,782 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies MDW–SEA
Filed traffic dataIn May 2026, Southwest Airlines was the only carrier flying nonstop MDW–SEA; the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was the most common aircraft at 58% of departures; flights ran 82% full.
Departures
124
May 2026
Seats
21,282
both directions
Passengers
17,547
both directions
Load factor
82.5%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies MDW–SEA?
Southwest Airlines was the only carrier to fly nonstop MDW–SEA in May 2026 (124 departures).
- WN
124 departures · 21,282 seats
Share of departures100.0%82.5%
Load
What plane flies MDW–SEA?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew 58% of MDW–SEA departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737 MAX 8
72 departures · 83.3% load
58.1% - Boeing 737-800
41 departures · 81.3% load
33.1% - Boeing 737-700
11 departures · 80.8% load
8.9%
How has MDW–SEA traffic changed?
Nonstop MDW–SEA departures fell from 159 in June 2025 to 124 in May 2026.
Monthly nonstop MDW–SEA traffic, trailing 12 months through May 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
June 2025
159 departures · 22,470 passengers
87.3%
Load
July 2025
173 departures · 26,053 passengers
92.3%
Load
August 2025
176 departures · 27,681 passengers
93.9%
Load
September 2025
173 departures · 24,104 passengers
82.6%
Load
October 2025
66 departures · 9,014 passengers
85.1%
Load
November 2025
58 departures · 7,820 passengers
82.5%
Load
December 2025
61 departures · 8,607 passengers
86.6%
Load
January 2026
62 departures · 7,752 passengers
75.8%
Load
February 2026
56 departures · 7,069 passengers
76.0%
Load
March 2026
113 departures · 14,913 passengers
76.1%
Load
April 2026
120 departures · 15,956 passengers
77.0%
Load
May 2026
124 departures · 17,547 passengers
82.5%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
MDW → SEA
90.4% full
62 departures · 9,778 passengers
SEA → MDW
74.2% full
62 departures · 7,769 passengers
Nonstop MDW–SEA 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 Seattle (SEA)?
MDW to SEA is 1,729 miles (2,782 km / 1,502 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from MDW to SEA?
A nonstop covers the 1,729-mile great-circle distance in roughly 4h 15m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies MDW–SEA?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew the largest share of departures (58.1%), followed by the Boeing 737-800 (33.1%).
What mileage do I earn flying MDW–SEA?
Distance-based programs credit off the 1,729-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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