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Route

Chicago → Buffalo

MDWChicagoChicago Midway International Airport
BUFBuffaloBuffalo Niagara International Airport
Distance
467 mi
Estimated flight time
~1h 25m

Buffalo is currently 1 hour ahead of Chicago.

Observed nonstop

View the reverse route

How often does this route fly?

Frequency

A couple of times a day

On average around 2 flights a day, observed from October 2025 to September 2026.

2
flights per day
3
busiest month · Apr
1
quietest month · Jan
1 hr 4 min
measured flight time
12 / 12
months seen

Through the year

Per day, month by month

  1. 1Jan2026
  2. 1Feb
  3. 2Mar
  4. 3Apr
  5. 2May
  6. 3Jun
  7. 3Jul
  8. 3Aug
  9. 3Sep
  10. 2Oct2025
  11. 2Nov
  12. 2Dec

Airlines

Who flies it

Southwest Airlinesall year

Through the day

Departure times

Local time in Chicago. Most departures between 12:00 and 15:00.

  1. 00:00
  2. 01:00
  3. 02:00
  4. 03:00
  5. 04:00
  6. 05:00
  7. 06:00
  8. 07:00
  9. 08:00
  10. 09:00
  11. 10:00
  12. 11:00
  13. 12:00
  14. 13:00
  15. 14:00
  16. 15:00
  17. 16:00
  18. 17:00
  19. 18:00
  20. 19:00
  21. 20:00
  22. 21:00
  23. 22:00
  24. 23:00

Through the week

By weekday

  1. 2.2Mon
  2. 2.5Tue
  3. 2.2Wed
  4. 2.1Thu
  5. 2.3Fri
  6. 1.9Sat
  7. 1.9Sun

Fleet

Aircraft observed

  1. Boeing 737-700B73747%
  2. Boeing 737 MAX 8B38M26%
  3. Boeing 737-800B73822%
  4. Cessna Citation LatitudeC68A1%
  5. Embraer Phenom 300E55P1%
All the numbers in a table
MonthPer daySeenAirlines
January 2026133
  • Southwest Airlines29×
February 2026130
  • Southwest Airlines28×
March 2026263
  • Southwest Airlines61×
April 2026377
  • Southwest Airlines73×
May 2026266
  • Southwest Airlines64×
June 2026387
  • Southwest Airlines84×
July 2026388
  • Southwest Airlines86×
August 2026389
  • Southwest Airlines84×
September 2026384
  • Southwest Airlines81×
October 2025254
  • Southwest Airlines50×
November 2025256
  • Southwest Airlines46×
December 2025251
  • Southwest Airlines46×

Airlines observed on this route

From observed callsign routes on MDW-BUF - not a booking guarantee.

Southwest Airlines

WN · SWA

Hub: DEN Denver

117 departure airportsView airline →

About this route

  • Domestic route: both airports are in the same country.
  • The opposite direction has also been observed as a direct connection.
  • Direct destinations observed from Chicago: 108.
  • Direct destinations observed from Buffalo: 62.

The airports on this route

Chicago Midway International Airport

Chicago, United StatesMDW / KMDW

Major airport · 108 direct destinations · 4 runways · longest runway 6,522 ft

52 °F · CloudySource: METAR observation via the NOAA Aviation Weather Center

Airport pageAll direct destinations

Buffalo Niagara International Airport

Buffalo, United StatesBUF / KBUF

Regional airport · 62 direct destinations · 2 runways · longest runway 8,829 ft

66 °F · CloudySource: METAR observation via the NOAA Aviation Weather Center

Airport pageAll direct destinations

Alternative airports for this journey

Same journey, a different airport nearby - with an observed direct connection.

ORD BUFChicago O'Hare International AirportChicago is about 16 mi from Chicago.View route →MDW ROCFrederick Douglass Greater Rochester International AirportRochester is about 55 mi from Buffalo.View route →MDW YTZBilly Bishop Toronto City AirportToronto is about 58 mi from Buffalo.View route →MDW YHMJohn C. Munro Hamilton International AirportHamilton is about 63 mi from Buffalo.View route →

About the route from Chicago to Buffalo

The observed direct connection between Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) and Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF) covers approximately 467 mi. The estimated flight time is around 1h 25m. Southwest Airlines has been observed on this connection in the available route data.

Frequently asked questions about this route

How far is Chicago from Buffalo by air?
The great-circle distance between Chicago Midway International Airport and Buffalo Niagara International Airport is approximately 467 mi.
How long is the flight from Chicago to Buffalo?
Based on the distance, the estimated flight time is about 1h 25m. This is an estimate, not a schedule.
Is there a direct connection from Chicago to Buffalo?
Yes, a direct connection between MDW and BUF has been observed in our route data.
Which airlines have been observed on this route?
In the available route data: Southwest Airlines.
How often is there a flight from Chicago to Buffalo?
On average around 2 flights a day, measured over twelve months (October 2025 to September 2026) in the flight archive, with 778 observed flights. Mainly Southwest Airlines. That is an observation, not a timetable.
What is the current time difference between Chicago and Buffalo?
Buffalo is currently 1 hour ahead of Chicago.

Where this data comes from

The route data comes from the flight archive (ADS-B, adsb.lol): which connections actually flew over the last twelve full months and who flew them, combined with our own airport, runway, and airline datasets. It is reference data about observed routes - not a current timetable and no claim about bookability.

The frequency and aircraft on this page come from the flight archive (ADS-B, 12 months, October 2025 to September 2026), summarized per route per month. We do not see every flight, so it is a floor, not a count.

Route data updated on October 11, 2026.