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Route

Chicago → Oakland

MDWChicagoChicago Midway International Airport
OAKOaklandOakland San Francisco Bay Airport
Distance
1,840 mi
Estimated flight time
~4h 10m

Oakland is currently 2 hours behind Chicago.

Observed nonstop

How often does this route fly?

Frequency

Daily at most

On average around 1 flights a day, observed from October 2025 to September 2026.

1
flights per day
2
busiest month · Mar
1
quietest month · Oct
4 hr 9 min
measured flight time
12 / 12
months seen

Through the year

Per day, month by month

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

Airlines

Who flies it

Southwest Airlinesall year
Zenflightnow and then

Through the day

Departure times

Local time in Chicago. Most departures between 09:00 and 12:00.

  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. 1.4Mon
  2. 1.7Tue
  3. 1.5Wed
  4. 1.4Thu
  5. 1.8Fri
  6. 1.3Sat
  7. 1.4Sun

Fleet

Aircraft observed

  1. Boeing 737 MAX 8B38M66%
  2. Boeing 737-800B73815%
  3. Boeing 737-700B7378%
  4. Gulfstream VGLF51%
  5. GA7C1%
All the numbers in a table
MonthPer daySeenAirlines
January 2026138
  • Southwest Airlines30×
February 2026131
  • Southwest Airlines28×
  • Zenflight1×
March 2026250
  • Southwest Airlines49×
April 2026149
  • Southwest Airlines43×
May 2026140
  • Southwest Airlines38×
June 2026259
  • Southwest Airlines52×
July 2026256
  • Southwest Airlines53×
  • Zenflight1×
August 2026259
  • Southwest Airlines53×
September 2026260
  • Southwest Airlines56×
October 2025139
  • Southwest Airlines34×
November 2025136
  • Southwest Airlines28×
  • Zenflight1×
December 2025126
  • Southwest Airlines22×

Airlines observed on this route

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

About this route

  • Domestic route: both airports are in the same country.
  • The 3rd 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 Oakland: 61.

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

Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport

Oakland, United StatesOAK / KOAK

Major airport · 61 direct destinations · 4 runways · longest runway 10,518 ft

68 °F · ClearSource: 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 Oakland

The observed direct connection between Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) and Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (OAK) covers approximately 1,840 mi. The estimated flight time is around 4h 10m. Southwest Airlines and Zenflight have been observed on this connection in the available route data.

Frequently asked questions about this route

How far is Chicago from Oakland by air?
The great-circle distance between Chicago Midway International Airport and Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport is approximately 1,840 mi.
How long is the flight from Chicago to Oakland?
Based on the distance, the estimated flight time is about 4h 10m. This is an estimate, not a schedule.
Is there a direct connection from Chicago to Oakland?
Yes, a direct connection between MDW and OAK has been observed in our route data.
Which airlines have been observed on this route?
In the available route data: Southwest Airlines and Zenflight.
How often is there a flight from Chicago to Oakland?
On average around 1 flights a day, measured over twelve months (October 2025 to September 2026) in the flight archive, with 543 observed flights. Mainly Southwest Airlines, Zenflight. That is an observation, not a timetable.
What is the current time difference between Chicago and Oakland?
Oakland 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.