Chicago (MDW) to St Louis (STL)
Flight time
≈ 1h 18m
Bearing
214° SW
Chicago (MDW) to St Louis (STL) is 251 miles (404 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies MDW–STL
US DOT T-100 · filed dataIn April 2026, Southwest Airlines operated the most departures, one of 2 carriers flying nonstop MDW–STL; the Boeing 737-700 was the most common aircraft at 52% of departures; flights ran 60% full.
Departures
310
April 2026
Seats
48,104
both directions
Passengers
28,980
both directions
Load factor
60.2%
passengers ÷ seats
Who flies MDW–STL?
Southwest Airlines operated the most nonstop MDW–STL departures in April 2026 (308), one of 2 carriers on the route.
- WN
Southwest Airlines
308 departures · 47,744 seats
Share of departures99.4%60.5%
Load
- GCA
Global Crossing Airlines
2 departures · 360 seats
Share of departures0.6%29.4%
Load
What plane flies MDW–STL?
In April 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew 52% of MDW–STL departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737-700
162 departures · 66.6% load
52.3% - Boeing 737-800
74 departures · 52.9% load
23.9% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
72 departures · 57.5% load
23.2% - Airbus A320
2 departures · 29.4% load
0.7%
How has MDW–STL traffic changed?
Nonstop MDW–STL departures fell from 336 in May 2025 to 310 in April 2026.
Monthly nonstop MDW–STL traffic, trailing 12 months through April 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
May 2025
336 departures · 31,978 passengers
60.4%
Load
June 2025
328 departures · 34,497 passengers
65.5%
Load
July 2025
354 departures · 37,534 passengers
65.8%
Load
August 2025
312 departures · 34,198 passengers
66.9%
Load
September 2025
302 departures · 32,552 passengers
65.6%
Load
October 2025
264 departures · 29,650 passengers
68.9%
Load
November 2025
249 departures · 24,386 passengers
60.5%
Load
December 2025
285 departures · 25,595 passengers
56.3%
Load
January 2026
243 departures · 18,087 passengers
46.1%
Load
February 2026
225 departures · 17,877 passengers
51.9%
Load
March 2026
287 departures · 29,563 passengers
64.9%
Load
April 2026
310 departures · 28,980 passengers
60.2%
Load
By direction
The DOT files each direction separately — they rarely match.
STL → MDW
67.5% full
160 departures · 16,573 passengers
MDW → STL
52.7% full
150 departures · 12,407 passengers
Nonstop MDW–STL 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
Frequently asked
How far is Chicago (MDW) from St Louis (STL)?
MDW to STL is 251 miles (404 km / 218 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from MDW to STL?
A nonstop covers the 251-mile great-circle distance in roughly 1h 18m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies MDW–STL?
In April 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew the largest share of departures (52.3%), followed by the Boeing 737-800 (23.9%).
What mileage do I earn flying MDW–STL?
Distance-based programs credit off the 251-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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