Chicago Midway International Airport

I enjoy a layover here at Chicago Midway. Plenty to do on a long layover. If your flights are tight on time it can be tricky. But airport has good signage. But otherwise a nice selection of stores and restaurants. Spacious walkways, luggage carts, plugs for charging, restrooms, drinking fountains. ATMS. Staff is generally friendly. It’s Christmas Day this trip. Some of their gates could have more seating. It’s always clean and well lite. Giving an upbeat atmosphere on cloudy days.

I came from New York to Chicago Midway International Airport for a trip to Chicago. The airport's services are excellent, it is very clean, and everything is available here. The management is very good, and my experience has been great. The staff is extremely polite and helpful, always ready to assist with any queries. The overall atmosphere of the airport is welcoming, making it a perfect start to my trip.

Traveling to many cities across the United States, I’ve found that Chicago is my absolute favorite. It offers a perfect balance of modern innovations and classic charm. The food scene is exceptional, with a diverse range of options to satisfy any palate. There's no shortage of things to do and see, from stunning architecture and museums to beautiful parks and lakeside views. The city is vibrant and full of life, and the public transportation system makes it easy to navigate. And of course, the weather in the summer is fantastic!

It’s a beautiful airport. MWD keeps on expending over time. Really enjoying the Club lounges inside the airport on concord B. Great foods and drinks.

This is more of a relaxing airport than o’hare! Not too big and crazy busy! Yes it can get crowded with many people. The gates aren’t too far to walk too. Everyone seems nice that I have talked too. The bathrooms are pretty clean and even the sitting areas. I do like how they have a nice bar and restaurant in the middle and pretty decent size!

Clean, easy TSA checks, and easy finding terminals. We enjoy flying out of this airport. It is a nice time. I recommend parking at Marriott and shuttling over. It makes life easier.

I recommend this airport for the individuals who don’t like huge airports with hundreds of terminals. The security checkpoints go by in a fair amount of time , outside of the normal busy seasons. The food selection is limited as an fyi so don’t expect too many spots. But overall it’s a pretty good airport.

A small, but very clean airport. It can get very packed. I love the bar style restaurants throughout the middle of the walkways, there’s a tiny little play area for small kids. Many food court areas that give you a lot of options. Only real issue is the bathrooms often have long lines- both men and women’s- as they’re rather small. Had to wait 10+ minutes for a men’s stall, which is highly unusual.

This was pretty epic seeing Barbie has her own Boeing 747!!! I prefer this airport over O'Hare. It's not overly crowded or complicated and you can maneuver around with ease.

Most ppl like Midway because it is smaller and easier to get from point to point. This is true. Otherwise, this airport needs some help. The bathrooms are gross. The terminal is cramped. It needs an overhaul. Midway needs attention.

I always enjoy flying out of MDW, and appreciate the smaller size (and easier navigability compared to O'Hare. It takes hardly any time to get through security, and it's easier to figure out where you're supposed to go and where you need to be. Like another reviewer, I'm super bummed that Potbelly is gone - though I haven't had a chance to try what replaced it. I loved that this Potbelly also served breakfast, as none of the ones by me in the burbs do, and I think Potbelly breakfast is delicious. It sucks that the highways here always seem to be under construction, but I know that isn't the airport's fault. I had heard about the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower program and checked to see if Midway participated - they weren't listed when I looked. However, today I saw an ad for it in the airport, which is amazing and awesome! Edit: while waiting to takeoff, I checked the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower website again. It looks like neither Midway or O'Hare are listed, but the information might be out of date.

I come to Chicago for a lot of work meetings. I love flying in and out of Midway, more than O'Hare. It's more spacious. Bathrooms are clean and fully stocked. I like that the stalls are wide enough and long enough for me to roll my carry-on into and not have to contort my body to use the toilet. MDW also has a lounge that I can access with my Priority Pass so that's awesome. There are LOTS of food options sprinkled all around the airport. And I love that going thru security gives you access to all of the gates. I hate airports that limit your ability access all the gates or all the restaurants. What if you have a friend taking another airline and you want to sit with them until it's your flight time? Or what if there's a place you wanna pick up a very specific snack? Great place to fly in and out of.

I love, love, love this airport. Three major wings, all easily accessible with plenty of snack and restaurant stops as you go. This Halloween trip we road the escalator with "snow white" (see pic). I love how the airport employees dressed up in character. We saw Chucky and Foxy Brown (no pics) sorry. Very comfortable layover.

Much smaller airport than O'Hare so it's easy to navigate. It seems like there were a few new places to eat at since the last time I was there. Quick & easy to get a shuttle to car rental. Overall no issues for me.

I still prefer ORD, which is sacrilege to many who praise how MDW is smaller and thus easier to navigate and "deal with." It's not totally wrong! One example is how easy the rideshare area is to find. But, as so many cliche term papers state, it is a "study in contrasts." MDW has continuously been updated and renovated, which is awesome. The main atrium with the various food options is bright, airy, and even calming! It is cool that they've added so many restaurants there. The restaurants near the gates are a bit less successful - I was excited to see Big&Little's there, but the breakfast menu had three items, and that was it. (So too with Porkchop, and their breakfast sandwich was revolting and overpriced. The eggs involved tasted "off." One woman worked the cash register and the other assembled the sandwich. The latter was probably supposed to hand off the food, but she then stood behind the former and scrolled on her phone. I politely asked for the food, since I had indeed just paid for it. WEIRD.) I never ran into this in years past, but my goodness, it is thoroughly unable to hold the amount of passengers it receives. There is a massive disconnect between space/facilities and traffic. This occurs in other airports, but I had never seen MDW in this manner before. The gates have very little seating, so a ton of people had to stand around for a while and sit on the window ledge. They seem to have added more chargers to seating, which is great. Both departing and arriving, I noticed that there are WAY too few bathrooms here for men or women! Every single time someone in my "party" needed to go to the bathroom, each time, there was a massive line! It felt like intermission at a theatre downtown. Usually, at an airport, you get this at peak times and/or after a flight lands, but this was at every bathroom, on two separate days. There just aren't enough bathrooms for the amount of people, so everything on your travel day becomes a game of lines. No thanks!

Connecting to NYC here and this airport looks very clean. We were fortunate to land at a gate that was 2 away from our next gate so that was a short walk. I'm not sure how big or small this airport is in comparison to ORD, but I didn't have trouble navigating it at all.

This was a very clean airport. Trust me, I spent a night here since my flight was cancelled due to a severe storm. They have a nice play area for kids that works really well as a sleeping area! The benches are cushioned and comfy. The maintenance crew does a great job keeping this airport clean!

Efficient airport with excellent customer service. I didn't have any bags to check and was able to go straight to the security gate. Pre check was swift and easy as usually. The TSA agents kind and polite. I made it to my gate a couple hours early. There are enough food options available to help waste time and bars if you prefer.

This is a pretty good airport, not too far away from the city. The costumer service is pretty good, the bathrooms are always clean The layovers are a bit brutal overnight but they have fresh food dispensers which are super convenient when nothing is open. I appreciate the amount of rest rooms around the airport, my only complaint is the lack of affordable fast food spots.

This place was PACKED! There'd been a few weather related delays so it looked like a jungle when I got there. People were crowded everywhere, asking questions and trying to get comfortable. The staff was pretty accommodating from my view. They provided updates about where the planes were and how long it'd like people to board. You can't really be mad at the weather so I just grabbed a seat on the floor and settled in. I wasn't here very long so I didn't try any restaurants but it was a typical airport experience for me.

I often travel across many cities across the United States and I've found that Chicago Midway is an absolute favorite of mine. It offers modern amenities with many restaurants (Cielo Cantina, Harry Caray Shortstop, Fannie May etc) and local Chicago digs with a small museum on the historic significance of the battle of Midway. The food scene is one of the best I have experienced in an airport. There's no shortage of things to do and see in Chicago from stunning architectural buildings, museums to beautiful parks and lakeside views. The city is vibrant and full of life, and the public transportation system makes it easy to navigate. Consider using Midway when you travel across the United States as this is a great mid-sized airport!

Prefer this airport over O'Hare for the most part. Much easier to get in and out of this airport than the other one. Not many places to grab food until you get through security. Nor is there much seating until you clear security. Dislike the baggage area at this location, it does not feel appropriately manned. Sometimes I will take the Orange line into this location depending on the time of my flight. If at odd timing then I grab park and fly spot at nearby hotel. There does seem to be a parking garage attached to the CTA line that you can book long term parking at. However, it is always full. Security lines here are not that long but surprisingly TSA precheck lines take long at this airport. I feel O'Hare TSA precheck lines are quicker. Once passed security there are places to eat in Concourse A and B. Concourse C is very small. If grabbing Garrett's popcorn to take to your destination, go to the location near B-14. True to Chicago there is a Yoga room and Chapel.

Whenever I fly to Chicago, I always choose Southwest through Midway to avoid the chaos of O'Hare. I've flown in and out multiple times, and I've never had any major issues. Midway has a limited number of airlines, but Southwest dominates, which is great for direct flights, especially from Nashville and/or Atlanta. The selection of restaurants and shops is decently impressive and well-distributed throughout the airport and concourses. Security lines are usually smooth, I've never waited more than 20-25 minutes, especially with pre-check, which is a huge plus. The only downside is the traffic getting to the airport; it always seems to be backed up, no matter the time of day. Outside of that, the airport could use some updates as it is a bit worn in many areas. Overall, Midway is a solid airport that's easy to navigate and is my choice of Chicago airports.

MDW has a small land footprint but, make no mistake, it is a big and vibrant airport! Quick facts: 12 miles from downtown Chicago; Opened in 1927, and was Chicago's primary airport until the opening of O'Hare in 1944; Served over 22 million passengers in 2023; Midway Airlines, once headquartered at Midway, took its name from the airport; Midway is a base for Southwest Airlines, which carries over 95% of the airport's passenger traffic. I fly into here frequently (usually on plane transfers) and gate to gate distances never seem too far of a walk. There's lot of eye catching artwork, murals and sculptures to grab your attention. I love the Battle of Midway Exhibit between Concourses A & B - especially the Douglas SBD Dauntless Dive Bomber plane on display. I love the criss cross pattern of the runways.

Plenty of seating, free WiFi, could use some more signage on how to get to some places though. I really appreciate how it's connected to the train system so it's quick and cheap to get into the city from here! And far less chaotic than o'hare which was the best part!

If sardines could fly Southwest out of Concourse A would be the way to go. Seating is stacked in such a way that you have to shimmy to get a seat. Many outlets don't work. At least there's some decent airport food in close proximity.

We grabbed a quick lunch at Big Chicken at Midway. There are self service lines, and we had a short wait to order. There are two kiosks and only a few options on the menu including sandwiches, salad, and chicken tenders. We ordered the 4-piece chicken tenders and fries. The food was ready almost immediately and we were surprised with the portions. Everything was hot and the chicken was so moist and fresh! The tenders were a little small but we received more than 4, so maybe they make up for it. The fries are seasoned waffle fries and were a bit overdone but still hot and yummy. If you're in Midway and want something quick and filling, stop by Big Chicken!

Nice airport with lots of options for snacks, meals and beverages. There are numerous flight boards strategically located throughout the concourse providing up to date flight information, as well as intercom updates. Even though it was a rainy and busy day, the process of deplaning and boarding on a connecting flight went smooth as silk. I was here for only less than an hour, but would gladly be content with spending a few hours here if I ever travel through here again.

We flew here from PHX for a high school football game. Flew on Southwest. We came and left through Concourse B which was in front of the main security check point. The 4 stars is because the security was pretty efficient . We went through once but then I had to go back out and back through again because I was looking for my dad. We were there early but still made it in and out twice. As far as the food selection, I thought it was somewhat limited but it is a small airport. They do have the places listed on their website.

If you're looking to be late at least an hour, this is the airport for you! You will never leave when you're supposed to be. So if you have free time to hang out at an airport and you don't want to get home at a reasonable time or the time you're supposed to, come here. Time has no meaning and there certainly isn't any respect for your time or the ticket that you spent money on. I have always been at least an hour late.

Sweet home, Chicago Midway is Midway, old but nicely updated. Some of the best eateries as far as an airport goes, brought home a Home Run Inn Pizza & have to say we got our baggage faster than the usual 30-60 minute wait.

Having been to Chicago, IL numerous times (visiting friends and venturing around the city) as well as a major layover spot, I am no stranger to their airports. Most people know of "O'Hare International Airport" but "Midway International Airport" is their little brother that is significantly smaller in size. It is also located more on the South Side of the city which makes it easy to navigate east to Indiana and south to cities such as Joliet and Champaign. I had a quick 45-minute layover here on Southwest Airlines. I was actually quite impressed that this airport was easy to navigate through as their were restrooms readily available as well as several charging ports (AC and USB) throughout the waiting areas. And for those that might have a long layover or a flight delay, there were several eateries including "Home Run Inn" and "Chicago Street Food" to get you filled up as well as an express "Dunkin' Donuts" to give you that coffee fix. And finally, this airport has its fair share of places to buy snacks, soft drinks, and of course Chicago souvenirs but at inflated prices. Finally, I wanted to add that the digital screen is very easy to read as the arriving and departing flights. Over the half a dozen times I have been here, I have not had any issues. The staff and service have always been professional, courteous, and diligent while scanning your boarding pass was a painless experience. All in all, I am giving the "Chicago Midway International Airport - MDW" an above average four stars.

One of the non-stop routes using Southwest airline from Las Vegas is to Chicago Midway International Airport - MDW. There was an event that I was attending in Chicago for the entire week, and Chicago Midway was approximately 30 minutes away from the hotel. The airport is pretty easy to maneuver around. The security checkpoint and wait times were pretty low. The lines moved fast and the Chicago Midway team is quite helpful! There are plenty of restaurants to eat at inside Chicago Midway International Airport! It's difficult to choose from with all of their selections such as Billy Goat Tavern Dunkin Express Einstein Bros Bagels Hubbard Inn Big City Chicken and much more! You can use a mobile application for some of the restaurants in Chicago Midway to place a mobile order instead of waiting in a line! There are also plenty of shops to spend some time at while waiting for your flight such as Chicago News, Chicago Sports, FAO Schwarz, Hudson, Sarah's Candies and a lot of other stores! I normally fly through O'Hare for connecting flights, but I would go through Chicago Midway International Airport again either for a non-stop route or connecting.

It's an airport the plane could utilize, so that's a winner in my book. It's smaller then O'Hare, which is nice. It was clean. Baggage claim was quick. Very easy to get to. All in all it's a decent airport. The car rentals are in a separate building. You must catch a bus outside to be taken to the building. The busses run very frequently and the signage was good. Do NOT rent from Budget or Avis. They combine their lines together with no additional staff. They're the only companies that do this. Pay the extra money for any other car rental company. Waited 2.5 hrs for a car on Saturday at 10 am. Was given a massive pick up truck, we did not reserve, to use in downtown Chicago. Just horrific. Car rental experience has nothing to do with the airport though. Use the airport, don't use Budget/Avis.

A very busy and large airport. Gates can be far from each other and one may need to use the people movers and dash down the corridors to make their connection. Our connection was fairly close, a 15 minute walk plus we gained an hour. Even though the boarding/waiting area was busy, there was plenty of airport seating in adjacent areas. WiFi in the airport.

Well didn't have the best experience. There was a tornado watch a few came thru and hit the area so we all had to pile in the middle of the terminal. This is not the airports fault but the employees who worked there were just so rude. Also they gave no indication of what was going on. Overall if you can avoid this airport I suggest you do.

Looks like my previous old review has been phased out. I'm in the top 10 of regular checkins, and have used MDW as my go-to airport for almost 20 years. It has changed in recent years with expansion and concourse upgrades and new food options. But the overall size is the same and practical in and outs of a smaller airport. The plane size can't grow with current technologies and we shall see how Southwest Airlines involves.

The worse bathrooms in the history of airports. My flight arrived during the morning rush and there were lines at the multiple bathrooms on the Terminal level. I went down to baggage claim level to grt my bags and that bathroom was temporarily closed as emoloyees sere blocking the entrance. Do yourself a favor and go to the bathroom on the plane or at home. This airport blows!

Great airport with easy and quick access to downtown. In a good day the drive over to downtown will take under half an hour I would fly into this airport more often if it had more options Food selection is not as robust as ohare

While this airport is convenient to the city it is terrible for connecting flights. Usually each connection is to close and then you end up being the last to board even if you had business select. Avoid this airport for connections unless you are doing a direct flight.

Before I begin let me start off by saying that this review is based solely upon my personal experiences and my personal experiences alone, so with that being said let's go!. We arrived here from Norfolk International airport to catch our continuing flight to Las Vegas. It was a decent sized airport in what I seen. Most importantly it was a smooth transition!.

This airport was nice, clean, and organized. Pretty safe place. TSA line was quick during our time there and workers were nice. Food court selection was also great. I had an asian food there and it was better than some restaurants i've been to lol

At one time, Midway was actually the main international airport in Chicago. While most people naturally think of O'Hare when they think of Chicago airports, Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) shouldn't be overlooked, especially because of its convenience to Chicago. MDW is several miles closer to downtown Chicago, located southwest of Chicago, and about 20 minutes away via the Orange Line rapid transit line. We took the orange line to Our Hotel (near Grant Park). It's a relatively small international airport with just one main terminal with 40-plus gates that are predominantly spread between two main concourses. Southwest is the main airline that flies in and out of MDW, Plenty of eating options (None at Concourse C)- it's all at Concourse B, like HVAC Pub, Billy Goat Tavern, Porkchop, Tabo Sushi, and many more. It has a selection of typical airport shops, such as Hudson Booksellers, but also shops for Chicago products and gifts like Chicago Sports, Chicago Market, and Discover Chicago. While coming from the Train station to the terminal - you will pass through a gallery with pictures of Veterans. I stopped for 10 minutes and their stories were so heart-touching- " How war changed their life" If you have some time to kill, visit this part.

There are a few simple rules to airports in Chicago. Midway is extremely good at following those. Rule number one, make it easier for regular people to fly through this part of town than O'Hare. Rule number two, if it's a connecting flight and the passenger deplanes, don't upset them. Midway is surprisingly difficult to navigate, hence only 4-stars. Finally, rule number three, telegraphing when it's unsafe to use the bathroom. Two thumbs up, kids.

Still a three star, but heading towards a two for me. I stopped here for a layover on my way to Ohio and after my flight I had to use the restroom. My trick is typically to head towards the restrooms further away from where the flights just unloaded so you don't have a huge wait so I headed toward my next gate and kept an eye on the women's restrooms. They ALL had lines and after finally waiting in one I realized why. Most of the restrooms I passed and went in had a single set of about six stalls and then three sinks. After being at busy airports with multiple rows of clean stalls and sinks this seemed crazy for such a popular airport. On top of this the restrooms were a disaster, the sanitary garbage cans in the stalls were overflowing, they were grimy and some stalls were "out of order" from use. I also pulled up Yelp while I was here to try to see if there was food worth stopping for and after seeing the lackluster results and checking out the menus and prices for myself I opted to skip ordering a meal. I will say, the Garretts popcorn as an option will always be a redeeming quality. I stopped there and grabbed a couple bags. I did like that there were some terminals that weren't being used that allowed for overflow seating, which was needed because all the seats at my gate were taken. The seats also had charging stations which was nice.

Can I give no stars....The agent says "YOU are good to fly with that bag." Get to the gate and have to wait 45 minutes because the lighting in the walkway to the plane doesn't work. Now by this time there are more people at the gate than a Super Bowl all waiting to board various flights. Germs just flying all around and nerves on edge. Then I finally get to board and the lady (and I use that word loosely) says that bag is too big you gotta check it. Well no problem...I say to myself. Cause I don't want a fight with big Bertha or to hold up the line. Then as I exit the flight I see bags as big as mine and bigger. One bag was so big the guy is trying to pry it out of the bin because it is stuck. Now I am mad so I call customer service. You ready for this. Cristy says "Well I am sorry" Yes Southwest that is really the perfect explanation for what you are ...cheap is not always better!! Next time fly me to Detroit I will walk back to my family in Chicago

Midway International Airport is one of two Chicago International Airports - the other being O'Hare International Airport. Midway is definitely the inferior airport of the two - it's much smaller, there's a lot less stores and restaurants inside, and it's in a worse area than O'Hare. You'll surely find plenty of public transportation here like the orange line CTA, Taxis, Uber and Lyft, but you may have a hard time getting an Uber or Lyft if you're trying to go to the Chicago Suburbs as they're much further away here than they are from O'Hare. I would only choose flying in/out of Midway if there were no good flights at O'Hare.

I love Midway airport and Southwest! Everything seems to run smoothly here. Clean and remodeled since my last visit here. I recommend arriving or departing from this airport.

I recommend this airport for the individuals who don't like huge airports with hundreds of terminals. The security checkpoints go by in a fair amount of time , outside of the normal busy seasons. The food selection is limited as an fyi so don't expect too many spots. But overall it's a pretty good airport.

We enjoyed a delightful sit-down breakfast before our flight out of the A gates. I had the bacon egg and cheese croissant with avocado and potatoes. My daughter had two scrambled eggs with bacon and potatoes and toast. And since there is a bar attached, they also have mimosas and coffee that you can get Bailey's and Kahlúa and if you want.

I had a long layover in Chicago Midway and I enjoyed my time. When I arrived most of the restaurants were closed. The early morning staff are polite and helpful. The bathroom were clean as well as other areas of the airport.

Stopped here only for a layover. Nice, clean airport. As we were going to our next gate, we saw this Welcome to Chicago sign. Great for taking pics!

Quality/Quantity - Because we fly so early, we do not get a chance to experience much at these airports. Atmosphere - International airport with 775 acres, 43 gates, etc. Very busy airport, approximately 270 people in front of us at TSA which took 25 minutes to get through. There were only two regular TSA windows, and a third one for "pre-check." When the "pre-check" line doesn't have anybody, other airports pull from the regular line, but this one did NOT today. I am told the other Chicago airports are even busier...? Part of the reason my daughter chose this one to fly in and out of. 29 eating and drinking options, see my few pictures but check their website for more information. 23 shopping options, see website. They also have a business center and convention space. Chapel, yoga room, lactation pods, animal relief centers, etc. Short term or long term parking lots. 11,299 parking spaces. Service - Okay, see above. Price - Cost of airline ticket. Owner Suggestion - Congrats on your success since 1927.

I like Midway, it's easy to navigate to, has a designated drop off area, we were able to drop off our bags and check in curbside, there wasn't a line and our agent printed our boarding passes too. You head down the escalators for TSA security and there was hardly a line at all to get through security. There's lots of shops to purchase souvenirs and quite a selection of restaurants, bars, and placed to grab a quick bite. We decided to walk to the different "concourses" and by concourse A there's the famous Billy Goat Tavern. They are slinging hot tasty burgers all day. I noticed over by concourse A, it's much less crowded, there's an irish bar, a tequila bar, lots of space to settle before your flight. The airport is clean, it's mainly for Southwest, Frontier and other small domestic flights. The restrooms had a 80s vibe but they were clean enough.

One of two of Chicagos major airport. Many food places to eat. Clean gender specific bathrooms different terminals depending on where you are going.

I was here for a flight transfer, so I know nothing about actually entering and departing the airport (if I were to do that, I'd use the subway). It was okay, not awful. But it was certainly cramped and loud. A lot of the gates just don't have enough seating. While I was waiting for my flight, the gate changed, and notification for it was inadequate; fortunately I was alerted on my phone. The area I was in, Terminal B, has a limited number of restaurant options, and I'm not a fan of the "aisle dividing" restaurants. I'm really not sure if I want to be here more times to see if my review changes its number of stars.

We've found some fantastic deals flying out of Midway so this has been our airport of choice. There is a hotel village located nearby along with many great restaurants. Also, many affordable parking options with shuttle service.