Midway Airport (MDW) Guide
Chicago's smaller, closer-in airport — the direct Orange Line connection and when Midway beats O'Hare for a visit.
Photo: Miguel Ángel Sanz / Unsplash
- ✓Midway International Airport (MDW) is Chicago's smaller, closer-in airport, and the CTA Orange Line runs direct from Midway into downtown.
- ✓Midway's single-terminal layout makes for a simpler, generally faster arrival-to-downtown experience than O'Hare's multi-building complex.
- ✓Midway serves primarily domestic routes and fewer international carriers than O'Hare — check which airport your specific route actually flies into before booking.
- ✓The Orange Line hasn't historically run 24 hours the way the Blue Line does, though the CTA has announced 24-hour Orange Line service is coming sometime in 2026 — verify current service hours at transitchicago.com if you're arriving very late or very early.
- ✓For a visit centered on the South Loop or Midway-adjacent neighborhoods, Midway can beat O'Hare on pure convenience even before comparing fares.
A smaller airport, and why that's often an advantage
Midway International Airport is Chicago's second airport, considerably smaller than O'Hare and closer to downtown — a difference that shows up the moment you land. Where O'Hare spreads across several terminal buildings, Midway operates from a single terminal, which means less walking, fewer wrong turns, and a genuinely simpler path from your gate to the train. For visitors flying a domestic route on a carrier that serves Midway, that simplicity alone is often reason enough to choose it over O'Hare, independent of any fare difference.
The tradeoff is route selection: Midway carries substantially less international traffic than O'Hare, and its airline mix leans toward domestic and a handful of budget-focused carriers. If your trip originates outside the US, or you're chasing a specific one-stop routing, O'Hare is more likely to have the flight you need. Verify which airport your actual route serves before assuming Midway is an option, rather than choosing it on convenience alone and working backward.
Getting downtown: the Orange Line
The CTA Orange Line runs directly from Midway into the Loop, and because the airport itself sits closer to downtown than O'Hare, the ride is meaningfully shorter — one of the clearer reasons to prefer Midway when both airports serve your route. As with any 'L' line, load a Ventra card once at the station and you're set for the ride in, and for getting around the city afterward.
One real difference from the Blue Line worth knowing before you land a late flight: the Orange Line has not historically run all night the way the Red and Blue Lines do — though the CTA announced in late 2025 that it plans to extend Orange Line service to 24 hours sometime in 2026. If you're arriving very early or very late, verify current Orange Line service hours at transitchicago.com before counting on the train — a taxi or rideshare may be the more realistic option outside normal service hours, even though the train is the better value the rest of the day.
- Orange Line: direct to the Loop, and a faster ride than the Blue Line from O'Hare thanks to Midway's closer location.
- Single terminal: less walking, a simpler arrival than O'Hare's multi-building layout.
- Orange Line service hours are more limited than the 24-hour Blue Line, though the CTA has announced 24-hour Orange Line service is coming sometime in 2026 — verify current hours at transitchicago.com for late or early flights.
Chicago Orange Line Guide
Everything the Orange Line serves — the direct route to Midway Airport — and the neighborhoods it connects.
Read guide
Airport to Downtown Chicago Transfers
Comparing the 'L', Metra, taxi, and rideshare from both O'Hare and Midway — a short, direct answer, not a padded FAQ.
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O'Hare Airport (ORD) Guide
Terminals, the Blue Line connection, and realistic transfer times into downtown Chicago.
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