New Orleans (MSY) to Chicago (ORD)
Flight time
≈ 2h 29m
Bearing
8° N
New Orleans (MSY) to Chicago (ORD) is 838 miles (1,349 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies MSY–ORD
US DOT T-100 · filed dataIn April 2026, United Airlines operated the most departures, one of 5 carriers flying nonstop MSY–ORD; the Embraer E175 was the most common aircraft at 44% of departures; flights ran 81% full.
Departures
431
April 2026
Seats
52,747
both directions
Passengers
42,571
both directions
Load factor
80.7%
passengers ÷ seats
Who flies MSY–ORD?
United Airlines operated the most nonstop MSY–ORD departures in April 2026 (122), one of 5 carriers on the route.
- UA
United Airlines
122 departures · 19,121 seats
Share of departures28.3%80.8%
Load
- YX
Republic Airways
99 departures · 7,524 seats
Share of departures23.0%91.8%
Load
- MQ
Envoy Air
94 departures · 7,122 seats
Share of departures21.8%91.7%
Load
- AA
American Airlines
73 departures · 11,412 seats
Share of departures16.9%71.3%
Load
- NK
Spirit Airlines
43 departures · 7,568 seats
Share of departures10.0%73.2%
Load
What plane flies MSY–ORD?
In April 2026, the Embraer E175 flew 44% of MSY–ORD departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Embraer E175
191 departures · 91.9% load
44.3% - Boeing 737-800
85 departures · 77.8% load
19.7% - Airbus A320
47 departures · 74.3% load
10.9% - Boeing 737-700
34 departures · 78.1% load
7.9% - Airbus A319
29 departures · 74.7% load
6.7% - Boeing 737-900ER
17 departures · 79.1% load
3.9% - Boeing 737 MAX 9
12 departures · 77.5% load
2.8% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
10 departures · 67.4% load
2.3% - Embraer E170
2 departures · 83.9% load
0.5% - Airbus A321neo
2 departures · 71.0% load
0.5% - Airbus A320neo
2 departures · 87.2% load
0.5%
How has MSY–ORD traffic changed?
Nonstop MSY–ORD departures rose from 340 in May 2025 to 431 in April 2026.
Monthly nonstop MSY–ORD traffic, trailing 12 months through April 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
May 2025
340 departures · 40,935 passengers
79.6%
Load
June 2025
375 departures · 39,882 passengers
82.9%
Load
July 2025
357 departures · 37,207 passengers
81.8%
Load
August 2025
308 departures · 29,576 passengers
77.7%
Load
September 2025
281 departures · 29,452 passengers
80.5%
Load
October 2025
473 departures · 50,957 passengers
77.1%
Load
November 2025
421 departures · 38,801 passengers
71.8%
Load
December 2025
369 departures · 32,526 passengers
77.7%
Load
January 2026
392 departures · 33,259 passengers
74.0%
Load
February 2026
439 departures · 44,563 passengers
75.0%
Load
March 2026
459 departures · 48,286 passengers
80.2%
Load
April 2026
431 departures · 42,571 passengers
80.7%
Load
By direction
The DOT files each direction separately — they rarely match.
ORD → MSY
79.6% full
218 departures · 21,233 passengers
MSY → ORD
81.8% full
213 departures · 21,338 passengers
Nonstop MSY–ORD 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
New Orleans
US
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport
Coordinates
29.99°N, 90.26°W
Hemisphere
N · W
Frequently asked
How far is New Orleans (MSY) from Chicago (ORD)?
MSY to ORD is 838 miles (1,349 km / 729 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from MSY to ORD?
A nonstop covers the 838-mile great-circle distance in roughly 2h 29m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies MSY–ORD?
In April 2026, the Embraer E175 flew the largest share of departures (44.3%), followed by the Boeing 737-800 (19.7%).
What mileage do I earn flying MSY–ORD?
Distance-based programs credit off the 838-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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