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Route

Chicago → Los Angeles

MDWChicagoChicago Midway International Airport
LAXLos AngelesLos Angeles International Airport
Distance
1,747 mi
Estimated flight time
~4h

Los Angeles is currently 2 hours behind Chicago.

Observed nonstop

View the reverse route

How often does this route fly?

Frequency

A couple of times a day

On average around 3 flights a day, observed from October 2025 to September 2026.

3
flights per day
4
busiest month · Oct
2
quietest month · Feb
3 hr 57 min
measured flight time
12 / 12
months seen

Through the year

Per day, month by month

  1. 3Jan2026
  2. 2Feb
  3. 3Mar
  4. 3Apr
  5. 3May
  6. 3Jun
  7. 3Jul
  8. 3Aug
  9. 3Sep
  10. 4Oct2025
  11. 3Nov
  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. 3Mon
  2. 3.3Tue
  3. 3.2Wed
  4. 2.9Thu
  5. 3.3Fri
  6. 2.9Sat
  7. 3Sun

Fleet

Aircraft observed

  1. Boeing 737 MAX 8B38M57%
  2. Boeing 737-800B73821%
  3. Boeing 737-700B73717%
  4. Bombardier Challenger 350CL351%
  5. Cessna Citation LongitudeC7000%
All the numbers in a table
MonthPer daySeenAirlines
January 2026392
  • Southwest Airlines83×
February 2026270
  • Southwest Airlines67×
March 2026391
  • Southwest Airlines85×
April 2026382
  • Southwest Airlines78×
May 2026386
  • Southwest Airlines81×
June 2026394
  • Southwest Airlines90×
July 20263107
  • Southwest Airlines103×
August 20263101
  • Southwest Airlines97×
September 2026396
  • Southwest Airlines93×
October 20254109
  • Southwest Airlines103×
November 2025398
  • Southwest Airlines91×
December 2025394
  • Southwest Airlines88×

Airlines observed on this route

From observed callsign routes on MDW-LAX - 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 6th longest observed direct route from MDW, out of 108.
  • The opposite direction has also been observed as a direct connection.
  • Direct destinations observed from Chicago: 108.
  • Direct destinations observed from Los Angeles: 161.

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

51 °F · CloudySource: METAR observation via the NOAA Aviation Weather Center

Airport pageAll direct destinations

Los Angeles International Airport

Los Angeles, United StatesLAX / KLAX

International hub · 161 direct destinations · 4 runways · longest runway 12,894 ft

69 °F · ClearSource: 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 LAXChicago O'Hare International AirportChicago is about 16 mi from Chicago.View route →MDW LGBLong Beach International AirportLong Beach is about 17 mi from Los Angeles.View route →MDW BURHollywood Burbank/Bob Hope AirportBurbank is about 18 mi from Los Angeles.View route →MDW ONTOntario International AirportOntario is about 47 mi from Los Angeles.View route →

About the route from Chicago to Los Angeles

The observed direct connection between Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) covers approximately 1,747 mi. The estimated flight time is around 4h. Southwest Airlines has been observed on this connection in the available route data.

Frequently asked questions about this route

How far is Chicago from Los Angeles by air?
The great-circle distance between Chicago Midway International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport is approximately 1,747 mi.
How long is the flight from Chicago to Los Angeles?
Based on the distance, the estimated flight time is about 4h. This is an estimate, not a schedule.
Is there a direct connection from Chicago to Los Angeles?
Yes, a direct connection between MDW and LAX 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 Los Angeles?
On average around 3 flights a day, measured over twelve months (October 2025 to September 2026) in the flight archive, with 1,120 observed flights. Mainly Southwest Airlines. That is an observation, not a timetable.
What is the current time difference between Chicago and Los Angeles?
Los Angeles is currently 2 hours behind 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.