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Route

Chicago → Louisville

MDWChicagoChicago Midway International Airport
SDFLouisvilleLouisville Muhammad Ali International Airport
Distance
272 mi
Estimated flight time
~1h 5m

Louisville 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 2.5 flights a day, observed from October 2025 to September 2026.

2.5
flights per day
3
busiest month · Oct
2
quietest month · Jan
46 min
measured flight time
12 / 12
months seen

Through the year

Per day, month by month

  1. 2Jan2026
  2. 2Feb
  3. 2Mar
  4. 3Apr
  5. 3May
  6. 3Jun
  7. 3Jul
  8. 2Aug
  9. 2Sep
  10. 3Oct2025
  11. 2.5Nov
  12. 2.5Dec

Airlines

Who flies it

Southwest Airlinesall year
Columbia Airwinter
Trans Continental Airlinesnow and then

Through the day

Departure times

Local time in Chicago. Most departures between 07:00 and 10:00.

  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. 2.7Mon
  2. 2.8Tue
  3. 2.9Wed
  4. 2.4Thu
  5. 2.8Fri
  6. 2.4Sat
  7. 2.4Sun

Fleet

Aircraft observed

  1. Boeing 737-700B73745%
  2. Boeing 737 MAX 8B38M24%
  3. Boeing 737-800B73821%
  4. Cessna Citation LatitudeC68A1%
  5. Embraer Phenom 300E55P1%
All the numbers in a table
MonthPer daySeenAirlines
January 2026263
  • Southwest Airlines56×
February 2026263
  • Southwest Airlines52×
  • Columbia Air1×
  • Trans Continental Airlines1×
March 2026276
  • Southwest Airlines69×
April 2026385
  • Southwest Airlines77×
  • Columbia Air1×
  • Trans Continental Airlines1×
May 2026384
  • Southwest Airlines73×
June 2026388
  • Southwest Airlines81×
July 2026392
  • Southwest Airlines83×
  • Trans Continental Airlines1×
August 2026270
  • Southwest Airlines68×
  • Columbia Air1×
September 2026280
  • Southwest Airlines68×
  • Columbia Air2×
October 2025396
  • Southwest Airlines88×
November 20252.579
  • Southwest Airlines65×
  • Columbia Air1×
December 20252.573
  • Southwest Airlines65×
  • Columbia Air1×

Airlines observed on this route

From observed callsign routes on MDW-SDF - 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 Louisville: 142.

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

Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport

Louisville, United StatesSDF / KSDF

Regional airport · 142 direct destinations · 3 runways · longest runway 11,886 ft

55 °F · CloudySource: 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 Louisville

The observed direct connection between Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) and Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF) covers approximately 272 mi. The estimated flight time is around 1h 5m. Columbia Air, Southwest Airlines and Trans Continental Airlines have been observed on this connection in the available route data.

Frequently asked questions about this route

How far is Chicago from Louisville by air?
The great-circle distance between Chicago Midway International Airport and Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport is approximately 272 mi.
How long is the flight from Chicago to Louisville?
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 Louisville?
Yes, a direct connection between MDW and SDF has been observed in our route data.
Which airlines have been observed on this route?
In the available route data: Columbia Air, Southwest Airlines and Trans Continental Airlines.
How often is there a flight from Chicago to Louisville?
On average around 2.5 flights a day, measured over twelve months (October 2025 to September 2026) in the flight archive, with 949 observed flights. Mainly Southwest Airlines, Columbia Air, Trans Continental Airlines. That is an observation, not a timetable.
What is the current time difference between Chicago and Louisville?
Louisville 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.