en.Wedoany.com Reported - Southwest Airlines ceased operations at Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) in June 2026, with all of its Chicago-area routes subsequently consolidated at Midway International Airport (MDW). The company announced this decision in March 2026, alongside plans to discontinue service at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD).

O'Hare is the world's busiest airport by aircraft movements: Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL) has long led in passenger volume, but O'Hare's higher flight density—driven by greater use of smaller regional jets—gives it the lead in takeoffs and landings. Southwest Airlines entered O'Hare in 2021 to respond to post-pandemic market shifts. The challenges posed by O'Hare's massive operational scale, coupled with the greater efficiency already achieved at its Midway base, were key factors behind this adjustment. Southwest stated that, as part of its ongoing network optimization, this change would not significantly impact capacity, and the airline would continue to serve Midway. Similar to Chicago, its Washington, D.C. traffic will be absorbed by Baltimore (BWI) and Washington National Airport (DCA).

Historical flight schedule data from aviation data firm Cirium shows that Southwest's departures from O'Hare rose before falling: 6,921 flights in 2021, increasing to 9,792 in 2022, peaking at approximately 10,053 in 2023, then declining year over year to 6,934 in 2024, 4,587 in 2025, and only 1,833 scheduled from January to June 2026, all operated by Boeing 737-700, 737-800, and 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

Southwest's route network at O'Hare was limited in scope, serving 13 cities in total. Austin, Cancún, Dallas, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Las Vegas, Nashville, Phoenix, Orlando, and Tampa were served continuously from 2021 to 2026; Baltimore was served from 2021 to 2025; and Panama City (Florida) saw only 8 flights, all in spring 2026.

Alongside the exit, Midway remains the center of Southwest's Chicago operations. In August 2026, the airline plans 6,544 departures from Midway, of which 37 are international flights to Cancún and Punta Cana, with the remaining 6,507 being domestic flights. By aircraft type, the 737 MAX 8 operates 2,814 flights, the 737-700 operates 2,187 flights, and the 737-800 operates 1,543 flights.

Looking at the monthly schedule from Midway, Denver (DEN), Dallas Love Field (DAL), and New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA) are the only three destinations with more than 200 flights, at 213, 212, and 208 flights, respectively. The longest route is to San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU), at 2,057 miles (3,310 kilometers), slightly exceeding the Punta Cana route at 1,965 miles (3,162 kilometers).