Flying Options To Chicago

The closest airport to Downtown Chicago is the Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW). Located on the city's southwest side, Midway is just 8 miles from the Chicago Loop, but due to traffic, the commute takes about 30 minutes by car or 45 minutes by train. The airport is dominated by low-cost carrier, Southwest Airlines, and serves as a focus hub for the Dallas-based company. Midway is the second largest passenger airport for the Chicago metroland area, right after the Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD). A word of advice for early morning travelers: Passengers departing between 5:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. from Chicago Midway Airport should allow two hours prior to their scheduled departure time for passenger processing.

Airline providers at Midway include:

Air Tran

Delta Airlines

Frontier Airlines

Northwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines

O'Hare is located in the northwest corner of Chicago, approximately 17 miles from the Loop. Allow for 45 minutes to 1 hour of driving time to get downtown. O'Hare serves as the primary and largest hub for United Airlines, and is also a major hub for American Airlines. Chicago is a major destination for travelers world-wide and therefore offers flights with airlines based across the globe, including Aer Lingus, Aeromexico, Air Canada, Air France, Air Indida, Alitalia, Al Nippon Airways, Asiana Airlines, British Airways, Cayman Airways, Etihad Airways, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Jazz, KLM, Korean Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Mexicana, Royal Jordanian, SAS, Swiss International Air Lines, TACA and Turkish Airlines.

U.S. Airline providers at O'Hare include:

Alaska Airlines

American Airlines

Continental Airlines

Delta Airlines

JetBlue Airways

SkyWest Airlines

Spirit Airlines

United Airlines

US Airways

USA3000 Airlines

Virgin Atlantic Airways