Chicago (MDW) to Sacramento (SMF)
Flight time
≈ 4h 22m
Bearing
274° W
Chicago (MDW) to Sacramento (SMF) is 1,786 miles (2,874 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies MDW–SMF
Filed traffic dataIn May 2026, Southwest Airlines was the only carrier flying nonstop MDW–SMF; the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was the most common aircraft at 56% of departures; flights ran 85% full.
Departures
124
May 2026
Seats
21,358
both directions
Passengers
18,105
both directions
Load factor
84.8%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies MDW–SMF?
Southwest Airlines was the only carrier to fly nonstop MDW–SMF in May 2026 (124 departures).
- WN
124 departures · 21,358 seats
Share of departures100.0%84.8%
Load
What plane flies MDW–SMF?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew 56% of MDW–SMF departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737 MAX 8
69 departures · 84.1% load
55.6% - Boeing 737-800
46 departures · 84.3% load
37.1% - Boeing 737-700
9 departures · 94.6% load
7.3%
How has MDW–SMF traffic changed?
Nonstop MDW–SMF departures fell from 146 in June 2025 to 124 in May 2026.
Monthly nonstop MDW–SMF traffic, trailing 12 months through May 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
June 2025
146 departures · 21,418 passengers
85.4%
Load
July 2025
157 departures · 22,789 passengers
83.9%
Load
August 2025
154 departures · 22,653 passengers
86.2%
Load
September 2025
156 departures · 22,700 passengers
85.4%
Load
October 2025
110 departures · 16,145 passengers
85.9%
Load
November 2025
60 departures · 8,485 passengers
81.6%
Load
December 2025
63 departures · 9,114 passengers
83.4%
Load
January 2026
61 departures · 7,697 passengers
72.1%
Load
February 2026
56 departures · 7,473 passengers
76.3%
Load
March 2026
114 departures · 15,030 passengers
76.5%
Load
April 2026
121 departures · 15,916 passengers
76.1%
Load
May 2026
124 departures · 18,105 passengers
84.8%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
MDW → SMF
87.9% full
62 departures · 9,539 passengers
SMF → MDW
81.5% full
62 departures · 8,566 passengers
Nonstop MDW–SMF 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 Sacramento (SMF)?
MDW to SMF is 1,786 miles (2,874 km / 1,552 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from MDW to SMF?
A nonstop covers the 1,786-mile great-circle distance in roughly 4h 22m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies MDW–SMF?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew the largest share of departures (55.6%), followed by the Boeing 737-800 (37.1%).
What mileage do I earn flying MDW–SMF?
Distance-based programs credit off the 1,786-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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