San Francisco to Chicago (SFO–MDW) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

SFO Airport Page →
1,850 mi airlines 17/wk
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Flight Schedule 7 flights Verified 1h ago
Nonstop 1-Stop 2-Stop Hide separate tickets Hide overnight Hide codeshares
  Flight Airline AC Dep Arr Dur OTP Sched  
✈ Nonstop
✓
→
WN4216
WN Southwest
73H
12:02 AM
PDT T2
6:14 AM
CDT
4h 12m
—
M T W T F S S
Prices
✓
→
WN2318
WN Southwest
738
5:15 AM
PDT T2
11:25 AM
CDT
4h 10m
—
M T W T F S S
Prices
✓
→
UA3777
UA United
7M9
5:00 PM
PDT T3
11:05 PM
CDT
4h 5m
—
M T W T F S S
Prices
✓
←
UA3751
UA United
7M9
12:56 AM
CDT
3:36 AM
PDT
4h 40m
—
M T W T F S S
Prices
✓
←
WN3917
WN Southwest
738
10:57 AM
CDT
1:35 PM
PDT
4h 38m
—
M T W T F S S
Prices
✓
←
WN1542
WN Southwest
7M8
9:20 PM
CDT
11:55 PM
PDT
4h 35m
—
M T W T F S S
Prices
✓
←
WN1786
WN Southwest
7S7
11:14 PM
CDT
1:35 AM+1
PDT
4h 21m
—
M T W T F S S
Prices

No flights match your filters.

No nonstop flights on this route. connecting options below.

✦ 1-STOP More options, longer trips
✧ 2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
San Francisco to Chicago
3 carriers, 17 flights/week nonstop.
3 Airlines 17 Flights/wk 1,850 mi 3h 20m nonstop +2h ahead 146 1-stop hubs

SFO–MDW is served by 3 airlines with nonstop service. Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and TWY lead the route. The flight covers 1,850 miles in approximately 3h 20m. Beyond nonstop, 146 hubs offer 1-stop connections.

Also explore SFO Routes MDW Routes SFO Live Flights MDW Live Flights SFO Delays MDW Delays
Carriers on this route

Airline Landscape

All carriers operating nonstop SFO–MDW service, compared side by side.
Airline Freq/wk Aircraft Duration Dep OTP Alliance Codeshares
WN Southwest Airlines 14 738, 73H 4h10-4h12 41% – –
UA United Airlines 1 7M9 4h05 41% Star Alliance –
TWY TWY 0 – – 41% – –
Aircraft on this route
738 Boeing 737-800 – WN
73H Boeing 737-800 (Winglets) – WN
7M9 Boeing 737 MAX 9 – UA
Alliance coverage
Unaffiliated: TWY + WN (14 flights/wk, 93%)
Star Alliance: UA (1 flights/wk, 7%)
OTP based on airport-level delay snapshots. Duration ranges reflect seasonal/directional variation.
Schedule

Weekly Schedule Pattern

Nonstop flight frequency by day of week, SFO to MDW direction.
Mon
2
flights
Tue
2
flights
Wed
2
flights
Thu
2
flights
Fri
2
flights
Sat
2
flights
Sun
3
flights
Departure time distribution
12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM
Morning departures
Afternoon/evening departures
3
Nonstop flights
17
Outbound / wk
16
Return / wk
Connections

Connection Landscape

Beyond nonstop. 1-stop and 2-stop options for SFO to MDW.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
146
Hubs
~4h
Fastest
~31h
Longest
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
3,458
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.
Alternatives

Other ways to reach Chicago from San Francisco

Nearby airports with service to Chicago Midway International Airport.
Metric SFO→MDW OAK→MDW SJC→MDW
Distance from SFO – 11 mi 30 mi
Nonstop airlines 3 4 6
Weekly flights 17 12 15
Flight time 3h 20m 3h 46m 3h 34m
Departure OTP 41% – –
Oakland (OAK) to Chicago flights · San Jose (SJC) to Chicago flights · Santa Rosa (STS) to Chicago flights
Airports within 200 miles of SFO with service to Chicago Midway International Airport.
Know before you go

Travel Essentials

Practical planning for this route.
Time Difference
+2h
Chicago is 2 hours ahead of San Francisco.
SFO: PDT · MDW: CDT

When it's 6:00 PM in San Francisco, it's 8:00 PM in Chicago.
Distance & Flight Time
1,850 mi / 2,977 km
Nonstop flight time is approximately 3h 20m to 4h 12m.
Getting to SFO

BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) runs from downtown San Francisco (Embarcadero, Powell St.) to the SFO station and then a free AirTrain shuttle to all terminals (30–40 min from Embarcadero, $10.45). BART also connects Oakland and Berkeley; useful for East Bay travelers. Trains run from ~4am to midnight.Taxis from downtown San Francisco cost $40–60. Ride-hails (Uber, Lyft) pick up in the designated area in the garage and are often $30–50 depending on surge pricing. SamTrans buses serve Peninsula cities. Highway 101 and I-280 are heavily congested during commute hours; BART is faster than driving at those times.

Facts

SFO–MDW Quick Facts

Key statistics for the San Francisco to Chicago route.
Route details
Distance1,850 mi / 2,977 km
Flight time3h 20m to 4h 12m
Time difference+2 hours
Airlines (nonstop)3
Weekly flights17 out / 16 return
1-stop connections146 hubs
Origin: SFO
Full nameSan Francisco International Airport
IATA / ICAOSFO / KSFO
TimezoneAmerica/Los_Angeles
Passengers/yr52.3M
Elevation13 ft / 4 m
Destination: MDW
Full nameChicago Midway International Airport
IATA / ICAOMDW / KMDW
TimezoneAmerica/Chicago
Passengers/yr20.7M
Elevation620 ft / 189 m
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about SFO to MDW flights.
Nonstop flights from San Francisco International Airport to Chicago Midway International Airport take approximately 3h 20m to 4h 12m. The route covers 1,850 miles.
3 airlines operate nonstop service: TWY, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines.
There are approximately 17 nonstop flights per week from SFO to MDW. The return direction has about 16 weekly flights.
Yes, 1-stop connections are available through SUS, CMI, FTW, TUL, ATW, APA, ENW, BJC, RIL, TEX, NUQ, FWA, UGN, VNY, TRM, FCM, CID, SAF, SCF, STS, YIP, HDN, MTJ, ASE, BZN, MKE, PTK, BOI, MRY, LGB, MEM, PGA, SNA, NEW, ADS, EGE, SBA, CXO, PSP, JAC, PDK, SGR, MSO, CLD, LBF, OKC, SDF, CHO, ICT, YVR, MQY, RNO, TYS, HOU, OTH, AGS, EUG, PNE, BTV, YEG, ABE, FOK, TEB, HVN, CHS, BED, IAH, HPN, OXC, ECP, SWF, SYR, IAD, MHH, SJD, VRB, ACK, SEF, YYZ, GRR, TLC, LGA, APF, BCT, FXE, PVD, SUA, PBI, OPF, MTH, YHU, RSW, NAS, GCM, YUL, ONT, SJU, SXM, PDX, SEA, OMA, SMF, STL, CLT, ATL, RDU, LBG, SLC, DEN, CLE, ORD, MSP, IND, PHX, DFW, SAN, PIT, BWI, DTW, LAX, AUS, LAS, BNA, FLL, ABQ, CMH, BUR, MCI, TPA, BOS, PHL, MCO, MSY, EWR, MIA, CVG, SAT, DAL, DCA, TUS, CUN, GDL, HCR, JWN, SBN and ASG. These options provide additional schedule flexibility.
Chicago is 2 hours ahead of San Francisco.
Yes, return flights from MDW to SFO are available. Use the direction toggle at the top to view the return schedule.
Nearby alternatives include OAK, SJC and STS. 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 SFO to MDW

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) are connected by nonstop service from TWY, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines. With 17 weekly departures, this is a well served route.

SFO to MDW Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from SFO to MDW ranges from 3 hours 20 minutes to 4 hours 12 minutes. The route covers a distance of 1,850 miles (2,977 km). There are approximately 17 weekly flights outbound and 16 return, totaling 33 flights per week in both directions.

Connecting Options and Alternatives

146 one-stop connections are available, with the fastest taking approximately 4 hours via SUS. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs. Nearby alternative airports include Oakland (OAK), San Jose (SJC) and Santa Rosa (STS).