Washington to Chicago (DCA–MDW) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

DCA Airport Page →
599 mi airlines charter/private 45/wk
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Flight Schedule 36 flights Verified 7m ago
Also flown by charter / private operators.
Nonstop Charter / private 1-Stop 2-Stop Hide separate tickets Hide overnight Hide codeshares
  Flight Airline AC Dep Arr Dur OTP Sched  
✈ Nonstop
WN1267
WN Southwest
7M8
6:05 AM
EDT T1
7:05 AM
CDT
2h
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN2859
WN Southwest
B38M
6:10 AM
EDT T1
7:10 AM
CDT
2h
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN1442
WN Southwest
B38M
7:30 AM
EDT T1
8:25 AM
CDT
1h 55m
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN1431
WN Southwest
73H
9:25 AM
EDT T1
10:20 AM
CDT
1h 55m
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN1444
WN Southwest
73H
9:25 AM
EDT T1
10:20 AM
CDT
1h 55m
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN554
WN Southwest
7S7
10:40 AM
EDT T1
11:40 AM
CDT
2h
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN488
WN Southwest
7S7
12:00 PM
EDT T1
1:00 PM
CDT
2h
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN1445
WN Southwest
737
12:00 PM
EDT T1
1:00 PM
CDT
2h
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN1158
WN Southwest
7S7
12:05 PM
EDT T1
1:05 PM
CDT
2h
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN277
WN Southwest
7M8
1:10 PM
EDT T1
2:10 PM
CDT
2h
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN1568
WN Southwest
7M8
3:30 PM
EDT T1
4:40 PM
CDT
2h 10m
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN4479
WN Southwest
73H
4:30 PM
EDT T1
5:30 PM
CDT
2h
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN1190
WN Southwest
73H
5:55 PM
EDT T1
7:05 PM
CDT
2h 10m
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN2904
WN Southwest
737
6:40 PM
EDT T1
7:45 PM
CDT
2h 5m
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN2710
WN Southwest
7M8
6:55 PM
EDT T1
8:05 PM
CDT
2h 10m
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN1447
WN Southwest
7M8
7:05 PM
EDT T1
8:15 PM
CDT
2h 10m
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN2852
WN Southwest
7M8
8:00 PM
EDT T1
9:05 PM
CDT
2h 5m
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN1448
WN Southwest
73H
9:30 PM
EDT T1
10:30 PM
CDT
2h
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN370
WN Southwest
7M8
9:35 PM
EDT T1
10:40 PM
CDT
2h 5m
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN2941
WN Southwest
1:30 AM
CDT
3:28 AM
EDT
0h 58m
46%
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN4976
WN Southwest
738
6:00 AM
CDT
8:45 AM
EDT
1h 45m
46%
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN2181
WN Southwest
7M8
6:45 AM
CDT
9:30 AM
EDT
1h 45m
46%
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN2569
WN Southwest
737
8:15 AM
CDT
11:10 AM
EDT
1h 55m
46%
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN2038
WN Southwest
7S7
8:30 AM
CDT
11:15 AM
EDT
1h 45m
46%
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN1582
WN Southwest
7S7
8:35 AM
CDT
11:20 AM
EDT
1h 45m
46%
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN2373
WN Southwest
7M8
11:05 AM
CDT
1:50 PM
EDT
1h 45m
46%
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN1294
WN Southwest
737
11:15 AM
CDT
2:00 PM
EDT
1h 45m
46%
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN1178
WN Southwest
73H
11:20 AM
CDT
2:05 PM
EDT
1h 45m
46%
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN4141
WN Southwest
7S7
12:24 PM
CDT
3:16 PM
EDT
1h 52m
46%
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN2761
WN Southwest
737
12:45 PM
CDT
3:35 PM
EDT
1h 50m
46%
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN979
WN Southwest
738
12:55 PM
CDT
3:50 PM
EDT
1h 55m
46%
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN324
WN Southwest
73H
2:00 PM
CDT
4:55 PM
EDT
1h 55m
46%
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN654
WN Southwest
7M8
3:40 PM
CDT
6:30 PM
EDT
1h 50m
46%
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN1157
WN Southwest
B38M
5:05 PM
CDT
7:55 PM
EDT
1h 50m
46%
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN416
WN Southwest
7M8
6:30 PM
CDT
9:20 PM
EDT
1h 50m
46%
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN1172
WN Southwest
7M8
8:10 PM
CDT
11:00 PM
EDT
1h 50m
46%
M T W T F S S
Prices

No flights match your filters.

No scheduled airline flights on this route — it's flown by charter / private operators (). No nonstop flights on this route. connecting options below.

✦ 1-Stop connections via 10 hubs
CLE Cleveland 3h 31m AAAS EJAWN Cleveland (CLE) to Chicago flights
DTW Detroit 3h 38m AAAFAM AFDLKE Detroit (DTW) to Chicago flights
BUF Buffalo 3h 55m AA EJAWN Buffalo (BUF) to Chicago flights
GRR Grand Rapids 3h 55m AAAS WN Grand Rapids (GRR) to Chicago flights
CVG Cincinnati / Covington 3h 57m AAAFAS WN Cincinnati / Covington (CVG) to Chicago flights
ORF Norfolk 3h 57m AA WN Norfolk (ORF) to Chicago flights
PHL Philadelphia 4h 6m AAASBA EJAWN Philadelphia (PHL) to Chicago flights
IND Indianapolis 4h 12m AAAS EJAWN Indianapolis (IND) to Chicago flights
STL St Louis 4h 25m AAWN LXJWN St Louis (STL) to Chicago flights
ALB Albany 4h 29m AAAS WN Albany (ALB) to Chicago flights
1-STOP More options, longer trips
2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
Washington to Chicago
2 carriers, 45 flights/week nonstop.
2 Airlines 599 mi 2h nonstop -1h behind

DCA–MDW is served by 2 airlines with nonstop service. Southwest Airlines and FlyNordic lead the route. The flight covers 599 miles in approximately 2h. Beyond nonstop, 1-stop connecting options are also available.

Airline Landscape

All carriers operating nonstop DCA–MDW service, compared side by side.
Airline Freq/wk Aircraft Duration Dep OTP Alliance Codeshares
WN Southwest Airlines 45 737, 73H, 7M8, 7S7, B38M 1h55-2h10 62%
LF FlyNordic 0 62%
Aircraft on this route
737 Boeing 737-700 – WN
73H Boeing 737-800 (Winglets) – WN
7M8 Boeing 737 MAX 8 – WN
7S7 Boeing 737 MAX 7 – WN
B38M Boeing 737 MAX 8 – WN
Alliance coverage
Unaffiliated: LF + WN (45 flights/wk, 100%)
OTP based on airport-level delay snapshots. Duration ranges reflect seasonal/directional variation.

Weekly Schedule Pattern

Nonstop flight frequency by day of week, DCA to MDW direction.
Mon
6
flights
Tue
6
flights
Wed
6
flights
Thu
6
flights
Fri
6
flights
Sat
9
flights
Sun
6
flights
Departure time distribution
12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM
Morning departures
Afternoon/evening departures
19
Nonstop flights
45
Outbound / wk
43
Return / wk

Connection Landscape

Beyond nonstop. 1-stop and 2-stop options for DCA to MDW.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
72
Hubs
~3h
Fastest
~18h
Longest
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
3,341
Candidates
Two-stop connections loaded in the connections tab above.
Connections computed from published schedules with minimum connection time verification. Use the interactive explorer above the fold to filter by airline, tier, and layover time.

On-Time Performance

What to expect at each end of your journey.
Outbound
DCA → MDW
62%
Moderate delays possible. Allow buffer time.
Departing
62%
Arriving
76%
Return
MDW → DCA
57%
Frequent delays expected. Consider flexible booking.
Departing
57%
Arriving
79%
OTP = percentage of flights arriving within 15 min of schedule. Based on airport-level delay snapshots. DCA delays → MDW delays →

Other ways to reach Chicago from Washington

Nearby airports with service to Chicago Midway International Airport.
Metric DCA→MDW IAD→MDW BWI→MDW
Distance from DCA 23 mi 30 mi
Nonstop airlines 2 16 8
Weekly flights 45 4 46
Flight time 2h 1h 29m 2h
Departure OTP 62%
Airports within 200 miles of DCA with service to Chicago Midway International Airport.

Travel Essentials

Practical planning for this route.
Time Difference
-1h
Chicago is 1 hour behind Washington.
DCA: EDT · MDW: CDT

When it's 6:00 PM in Washington, it's 5:00 PM in Chicago.
Distance & Flight Time
599 mi / 964 km
Nonstop flight time is approximately 2h 0m gate to gate.
Getting to DCA

The DC Metro (Yellow and Blue lines) connects the airport directly to downtown Washington in 15–25 minutes from most central stations ($2.25–$3.85 depending on distance and time of day). The Reagan National Airport station is inside the terminal complex with a direct indoor walkway. Metro runs from about 05:00 to midnight Sunday–Thursday, and until 01:00 on Friday–Saturday.Taxis and Uber/Lyft from the city centre cost $15–30 depending on destination and traffic. DCA is one of the most transit-accessible major US airports. Driving is straightforward via the George Washington Memorial Parkway; short-term parking at the terminal costs from $5 for 20 minutes. No personal vehicles are allowed to idle at arrivals; use the cell-phone lot or commercial pick-up zones.

DCA–MDW Quick Facts

Key statistics for the Washington to Chicago route.
Route details
Distance599 mi / 964 km
Flight time2h
Time difference-1 hour
Airlines (nonstop)2
Weekly flights45 out / 43 return
1-stop connectionsAvailable
Origin: DCA
IATA / ICAODCA / KDCA
TimezoneAmerica/New_York
Passengers/yr25.5M
Elevation15 ft / 5 m
Destination: MDW
IATA / ICAOMDW / KMDW
TimezoneAmerica/Chicago
Passengers/yr20.7M
Elevation620 ft / 189 m

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about DCA to MDW flights.
Nonstop flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Chicago Midway International Airport take about 2h gate to gate. The route covers 599 miles.
2 airlines operate flights from DCA to MDW: Southwest Airlines and FlyNordic.
This route has frequent daily service. Check the schedule above for departure days and times in each direction.
Yes, 1-stop connections are available, ranked by layover time. Common connecting points include Cleveland Hopkins, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County and Buffalo Niagara.
Chicago is 1 hour behind Washington.
Yes, return flights from MDW to DCA are available. Use the direction toggle at the top to view the return schedule.
Nearby alternatives include IAD, BWI and SBY. See the Alternatives section for a full comparison.
Click the 'Search Flights' button to check availability and prices on Google Flights. You can also compare airlines and schedules on this page to find the best option.
See the On-Time Performance section for the latest delay data at both airports. This shows departure and arrival reliability to help you plan.
Route data is updated regularly from official airline schedules. On-time performance data comes from recent airport delay snapshots.

Flights from DCA to MDW

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) and Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) are connected by nonstop service from Southwest Airlines and FlyNordic. With 45 weekly departures, this is a heavily served route.

DCA to MDW Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from DCA to MDW is about 2 hours gate to gate. The route covers a distance of 599 miles (964 km). There are approximately 45 weekly flights outbound and 43 return, totaling 88 flights per week in both directions.

Connecting Options and Alternatives

1-stop connecting options are also available, commonly via Cleveland Hopkins, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County and Buffalo Niagara. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs. Nearby alternative airports include Dulles (IAD), Baltimore (BWI) and Salisbury (SBY).