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Route

Chicago → Columbus

MDWChicagoChicago Midway International Airport
CMHColumbusJohn Glenn Columbus International Airport
Distance
282 mi
Estimated flight time
~1h 5m

Columbus is currently 1 hour ahead of Chicago.

Observed nonstop

How often does this route fly?

Frequency

A couple of times a day

On average around 3.5 flights a day, observed from October 2025 to September 2026.

3.5
flights per day
5
busiest month · Oct
3
quietest month · Dec
45 min
measured flight time
12 / 12
months seen

Through the year

Per day, month by month

  1. 3.5Jan2026
  2. 3Feb
  3. 3Mar
  4. 3Apr
  5. 3May
  6. 4Jun
  7. 4Jul
  8. 4Aug
  9. 4.5Sep
  10. 5Oct2025
  11. 3.5Nov
  12. 3Dec

Airlines

Who flies it

Southwest Airlinesall year

Through the day

Departure times

Local time in Chicago. Most departures between 08:00 and 11:00.

  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. 4Mon
  2. 4.2Tue
  3. 3.8Wed
  4. 3.6Thu
  5. 4Fri
  6. 3.3Sat
  7. 3.5Sun

Fleet

Aircraft observed

  1. Boeing 737-700B73741%
  2. Boeing 737 MAX 8B38M23%
  3. Boeing 737-800B73819%
  4. Cessna Citation LatitudeC68A4%
  5. Embraer Phenom 300E55P3%
All the numbers in a table
MonthPer daySeenAirlines
January 20263.5105
  • Southwest Airlines84×
February 2026397
  • Southwest Airlines84×
March 20263104
  • Southwest Airlines78×
April 2026394
  • Southwest Airlines82×
May 2026394
  • Southwest Airlines74×
June 20264125
  • Southwest Airlines101×
July 20264130
  • Southwest Airlines109×
August 20264124
  • Southwest Airlines102×
September 20264.5132
  • Southwest Airlines111×
October 20255141
  • Southwest Airlines117×
November 20253.5113
  • Southwest Airlines90×
December 20253100
  • Southwest Airlines90×

Airlines observed on this route

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

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 Columbus: 86.

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

54 °F · CloudySource: METAR observation via the NOAA Aviation Weather Center

John Glenn Columbus International Airport

Columbus, United StatesCMH / KCMH

Regional airport · 86 direct destinations · 2 runways · longest runway 10,115 ft

55 °F · RainSource: METAR observation via the NOAA Aviation Weather Center

Alternative airports for this journey

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

About the route from Chicago to Columbus

The observed direct connection between Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) and John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH) covers approximately 282 mi. The estimated flight time is around 1h 5m. Southwest Airlines has been observed on this connection in the available route data.

Frequently asked questions about this route

How far is Chicago from Columbus by air?
The great-circle distance between Chicago Midway International Airport and John Glenn Columbus International Airport is approximately 282 mi.
How long is the flight from Chicago to Columbus?
Based on the distance, the estimated flight time is about 1h 5m. This is an estimate, not a schedule.
Is there a direct connection from Chicago to Columbus?
Yes, a direct connection between MDW and CMH 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 Columbus?
On average around 3.5 flights a day, measured over twelve months (October 2025 to September 2026) in the flight archive, with 1,359 observed flights. Mainly Southwest Airlines. That is an observation, not a timetable.
What is the current time difference between Chicago and Columbus?
Columbus 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.