SFO → MDWSan Francisco to Chicago

live

Direct flights from San Francisco (SFO) to Chicago (MDW): 10 nonstop departures observed each week across 1 airline. 90% of the last 10 tracked flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule. The median arrival is 17 minutes early. No cancellations were recorded across the 10 tracked flights. The nonstop covers 2,977 km, an estimated 4 hours 19 minutes in the air. Measured by Pro Flight Search from live flight boards at San Francisco and Chicago. Updated 2 November 2026 at 04:41 UTC.

Today, SFO → MDW

Sun 1 Nov · local times
  1. 23:35 WN3849Southwest On scheduleGate D4 · T2 ·

Checked SFO board 20:41 · MDW board 21:35

SFO San Francisco smooth · +0
MDW Chicago smooth · +11
2,977 km · ~4h 19m est.
dep bank 05:35–23:4010x weekly
Runs reliable · 1 airline · 10x weekly · nonstop
90% on time

of the last 10 tracked SFO → MDW flights arrived within 15 minutes

Median arrival delay is −17 min. 0 of 10 tracked legs cancelled in the sample. Will a delayed flight be cancelled? →

Median arrival−17 minacross the last 10 arrivals
Flight time~4h 19mestimated from route distance
Weekly departures10x1 direct airline on the leg
Cancelled0.0%recent route rate · 0 of 10

The week

scheduled departures · origin local time
06121824
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
Southwest Airlines

Each mark is a scheduled departure at its origin-local time, observed operating in the last 7 days. Today is highlighted.

Who flies it

observed on the boards · 7 days
Southwest AirlinesWN90% on time

Flights WN4579 05:35 Mo Th Fr · WN3782 23:40 daily

History

operated legs · board outcomes
10-31WN2533dep −3 → arr−32
10-30WN3782dep −13 → arr−33
10-30WN4579dep −5 → arr−24
10-29WN3782dep −6 → arr−16
10-29WN4579dep +6 → arr−10
10-28WN3782dep −1 → arr−17
10-27WN3782dep −14 → arr−48
10-26WN3782dep +48 → arr+33
10-26WN4579dep +0 → arr−21
10-25WN3782arrived−16

Actual board outcomes rather than schedules, paired departure and arrival per flight and day.

Full board history, day by day →

Airports right now

live boards
SFOSan Francisco +0 min smooth 🌤 clear · W 10 kt Full SFO delay board →
MDWChicago +11 min smooth 🌤 overcast · S 6 kt Full MDW delay board →

Weather lens

Conditions are tightest at SFO: a 45% chance of a 15+ minute delay. In this weather, the more delayed of the two airports is typically about +11 min. Both figures come from the two airports' delay records in similar weather. See live delays → · Weather risk by airport →

How the San Francisco to Chicago route actually runs

Pro Flight Search records official board updates for nonstop SFO to MDW flights through the day: schedules, estimates, gate pushes and actual departures. The verdict above comes from operated flights, so it reflects what this route does rather than what the timetable promises.

Planning around a delay? Live airport delays · Weather delay risk map · Will a delayed flight be cancelled? · Do planes make up time in the air? · How we measure

Cite this data

Journalists, bloggers, and researchers may cite this page with attribution and a link to Pro Flight Search.

Suggested citation

Pro Flight Search: San Francisco (SFO) to Chicago (MDW) route reliability, measured from operated flights on official airport boards.

Canonical URL
https://proflightsearch.com/search-flights/SFO-MDW
How we measure this →

SFO to MDW questions

Is SFO–MDW running on time right now?

Smooth skies ahead. The arrival side at MDW is the weaker end, route health score 92/100. The airports section above carries the live status and delay window at both ends.

Morning or evening flight on SFO–MDW?

Operators schedule morning departures around 05:35 and evening departures around 23:40 from SFO. Earlier flights typically land before destination-airport delays accumulate later in the day; check the MDW delay card to confirm conditions when you'd arrive.

How long is the flight from SFO to MDW?

Great-circle distance is 2,977 km. With typical jet cruise speed plus taxi, climb and descent, expect roughly 240–285 min gate-to-gate on this route.

How often does SFO–MDW fly?

Southwest Airlines runs the route with about 10 flights a week (daily). Since one carrier owns the route, a single disruption tends to ripple through the day.