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The world's largest low-cost carrier (or hybrid carrier, as many would argue) withdrew from the world's busiest airport for by flights (as opposed to passenger numbers) this year. 
Southwest Airlines said goodbye to 
Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD), as it shifted its focus to a more consolidated operation in the Windy City, with all flights now operating from Chicago Midway (MDW).
Southwest had operated nonstop flights from O'Hare to 13 domestic and international destinations since 2021. However, in 2026 the airline decided to move all its operations to Midway.
Southwest Airlines Exits O'Hare In Favor Of Midway
Southwest has operated at Midway for over 40 years, having commenced operations in Midway in 1985. In 2021, the airline took a punt at O'Hare in the pandemic era to compete against the country's major legacy carriers, United and American. The airline struggled to gain ground at the world's busiest airport by flights, with its market share only reaching 1.7%.
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O'Hare continued to be difficult for Southwest to grow. Federal Aviation Administration summer flight caps, paired with weak load factors and high operating costs, resulted in the airline ending its operations.
|
Chicago Airport |
Period |
Southwest's Average Load Factor (%) |
|---|---|---|
|
Chicago O'Hare (ORD) |
2021-2026 |
75.3% |
|
Chicago Midway |
2021-2026 |
82.3% |
Data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, shows that Southwest carried 8.9 million passengers from O'Hare between 2021 and 2026. The airline achieved a load factor of 75.3%, below the industry benchmark of 80%, compared to Midway, which averages 82.3%
13 Southwest Routes Canceled from Chicago O'Hare
During its time at O'Hare, Southwest operated 13 destinations: 12 domestic within the United States and a single international route to the popular Mexican tourist destination of Cancun. Domestically, the airline flew to eight destinations in the South, one in the Northeast, and three in the West.
|
Region |
Destination Served |
|---|---|
|
South |
Nashville (BNA), Austin (AUS), Dallas Love Field (DAL), Orlando (MCO), Panama City Beach area (ECP), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Fort Myers (RSW), Tampa (TPA) |
|
Northeast |
Baltimore (BWI) |
|
West |
Denver (DEN), Phoenix (PHX), Las Vegas (LAS) |
|
Mexico |
Cancún (CUN) |
At O'Hare, United and American dominate flight operations, collectively accounting for 80% of all flights, and served 68 million passengers between June 2025 and May 2026, according to The Frequent Flier, citing BTS data. The third and fourth biggest airlines are 
Delta Air Lines, operating 3.3% of flights, followed by Frontier at 1.9% of flights. Spirit Airlines, before its demise earlier this year, held around 2% of all flights at the airport.
Southwest Consolidates At Midway
Midway is the second busiest airport in Chicago and is located on the southwest side of the city. Southwest maintains more than 90% of all flight operations at the airport and, between June 2025 and May 2026, carried 17.3 million passengers, per The Frequent Flier.
Frontier Airlines is the second largest airline, with just over half a million annual passengers and 3% of all flights. The top domestic destinations from Midway are Atlanta, Phoenix, Orlando, Las Vegas, and Denver, while the top international destination is Cancun, all served by Southwest.