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
Filed traffic dataIn June 2026, Southwest Airlines was the only carrier flying nonstop MDW–STL; the Boeing 737-700 was the most common aircraft at 39% of departures; flights ran 72% full.
Departures
328
June 2026
Seats
52,498
both directions
Passengers
37,678
both directions
Load factor
71.8%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies MDW–STL?
Southwest Airlines was the only carrier to fly nonstop MDW–STL in June 2026 (328 departures).
- WN
328 departures · 52,498 seats
Share of departures100.0%71.8%
Load
What plane flies MDW–STL?
In June 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew 39% of MDW–STL departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737-700
129 departures · 78.4% load
39.3% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
121 departures · 68.0% load
36.9% - Boeing 737-800
78 departures · 69.0% load
23.8%
How has MDW–STL traffic changed?
Nonstop MDW–STL departures fell from 354 in July 2025 to 328 in June 2026.
Monthly nonstop MDW–STL traffic, trailing 12 months through June 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
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
May 2026
315 departures · 30,715 passengers
63.3%
Load
June 2026
328 departures · 37,678 passengers
71.8%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
STL → MDW
72.1% full
168 departures · 19,288 passengers
MDW → STL
71.4% full
160 departures · 18,390 passengers
Nonstop MDW–STL traffic has been filed since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through June 2026; filings from 2025. Public domain (US Government work).
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 June 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew the largest share of departures (39.3%), followed by the Boeing 737 MAX 8 (36.9%).
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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