While you may be familiar with Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD), you could be forgiven for forgetting about the city's other major airport. Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW).
Midway is located on the city's fringe and is a hub for Southwest Airlines. The airport, which caters to short flights from the city, was once the world's busiest airport for three decades.
The world's busiest airport between the 1930's to 1950's
During the 1930s, '40s, and '50s, according to OAG, Chicago Midway was the world's busiest airport. The airport, which was originally opened as Chicago Municipal Airport on May 8, 1926, quickly rose to popularity among both travelers and plane spotters, with many locals coming to the airport and lining the perimeter to watch planes take off and land.
Past students at Nathan Hale Elementary School had quite a unique view outside their school windows. Classrooms once sat just 100 yards from the runways, which led to the entire building vibrating during arrivals and departures. However, eventually the runways were closed when school was in session.
Midway is known for its short runways, and the evolution of jumbo jets led to the opening of the city's main airport, Chicago O'Hare. Following the opening of O'Hare, Midway saw its popularity drop, and the airport saw a rapid decline in operations.
Airlines didn't see the benefit of paying for facilities at two airports in one city, so many moved their operations to ORD in the early '60s. Midway quickly became a ghost town as operators eventually departed and the airport was predominantly used by private aviators for the next two decades.
A new renaissance following federal regulations
Deregulation of the airline industry was the lifeline that Midway needed. The change in federal regulations saw routes established to and from Midway again, and carriers offering new routes and low airfares opened the door, breathing life back into Midway Airport.
Across the city, Chicago O'Hare International Airport was facing expansion challenges, including a proposed third runway and terminal expansions. In contrast, Midway's capacity and health remained robust, making it a prime second option for those residing or visiting Chicago.
A look back at Midway being the world's busiest airport
During the 1930s, a new passenger terminal was opened at the airport located on 62nd St. This supported over 100,800 passengers traveling on more than 60,940 flights. According to the Official Aviation Guide, this earned the airport the title of the World's Busiest, which continued for several decades. The Works Progress Administration saw fortunes in the airport and expanded it with a then $1 million grant. Chicago and the Western Indiana Railroad were asked to reroute their networks around the northern edge of the airfield.
In the decades following, the airport recorded up to 414 weekday fixed-wing departures, with popular US carriers including:
- American Airlines
- United Airlines
- TWA
- Capital
- North Central
- Delta Air Lines
- Eastern
- Northwest
- Ozark Braniff
- Trans-Canada
- Lake Central
- Air France
- Lufthansa
- REAL
The airport's proximity to buildings limited its expansion by the 1960s, and the evolution of Chicago O'Hare saw many larger airlines disappear to the city's new airport. Named after the Battle of Midway, the airport was once also the headquarters of the now-defunct Midway Airlines.
A memorable crash: United Airlines Flight 553
On Friday, December 8, 1972, a United Airlines Boeing 737-200 crashed into a row of houses on the outskirts of Midway as it came in to land. The crash fatally killed 42 of the 61 passengers onboard, including Dorothy Hunt. Hunt was the wife of Watergate conspirator E. Howard Hunt, and was carrying $10,000 in cash at the time.
Multiple privatization attempts for Midway Airport have failed
There have been numerous privatization attempts for Midway. However, the two most notable fell through in 2009 and 2013.
In 2009, a $2.5 billion deal was proposed by a consortium to privatize the airport on a 99-year lease. The consortium included Vancouver Airport Services, Citi Infrastructure Investors, and John Hancock Life Insurance. They won a contract in 2008 after the City Council voted 49-0.
The second time around occurred in 2013 when then-Mayor Rohm Emanuel axed negotiations to privatize the airport. The airport was under the eye of the Great Lakes Airport Alliance, a partnership consisting of Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets and Ferrovial. Had the deal gone through, it would've been worth $2 billion to the city on a 40-year lease.
A look at Chicago Midway today
Today, the Chicago Department of Aviation operates a public airport at Midway International Airport (MDW) (ICAO: KMDW). Located in Clearing and Garfield Ridge, Chicago, the airport opened in December 1927 and is nearing its centenary. While it competes directly with neighboring O'Hare for short-haul domestic flights, the airport is an operating base for low-cost carriers Frontier and Southwest Airlines.
The airport has four operational runways, as outlined below:
|
Runway |
Length (feet) |
Length (meters) |
Surface |
|---|---|---|---|
|
4L/22R |
5,507 |
1,679 |
Asphalt |
|
4R/22L |
6,445 |
1,964 |
Asphalt/concrete |
|
13C/31C |
6,522 |
1,988 |
Concrete |
|
13R/31L |
3,859 |
1,176 |
Concrete |
The airport, located just 12 miles from the city's Loop Business District and operating in the shadows of Chicago O'Hare, has grown to become one of the busiest in the United States and the second busiest in the state of Illinois.
Midway is restricted from expansion outside its current boundaries, given the buildings and other developments surrounding it. This results in the airport having landing thresholds on the runway. The Federal Aviation Administration monitors the airport and ensures that airlines adhere to specific load limits, which fluctuate depending on the weather.
Dominating Midway: 90% of all operations
Southwest Airlines, the world's largest low-cost carrier, has extensive operations at the airport and caters for around 90% of all operations. Its long list of routes is included below:
Other operators at Midway include:
- Allegiant Air
- US domestic routes
- Avelo Airlines
- New Haven (seasonal)
- Delta Air Lines
- US domestic routes
- Frontier Airlines
- US domestic routes
- Porter Airlines
- Flying to Toronto Billy-Bishop (Toronto Island), Canada
- Volaris
- Flying to Aguascalientes, Durango, Guadalajara, León/Del Bajío, Morelia, Zacatecas in Mexico
Domestically, the most popular routes from Midway are to Las Vegas (Frontier and Southwest), Phoenix Sky Harbor (Frontier and Southwest), Atlanta (Delta, Frontier, and Southwest), Denver (Frontier and Southwest), and Orlando (Frontier and Southwest). On an international level, Cancun reigns supreme (served by Frontier and Southwest), followed by Morelia (Volaris), Guadalajara (Volaris), Toronto Billy-Bishop (Porter), and Leon/Del Bajio (Volaris).
According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Southwest has a hold on the airport, facilitating 90% of all flights to and from the airport. Frontier is the second largest at Midway, with a 6.2% market share, and Delta Air Lines (including flights operated by SkyWest and Endeavor Air) makes up 2.6% of the airport's flights.
The Chicago Transit Authority connects the Chicago Midway to the city via the Orange Line (L). The PACE also operates numerous bus routes. A commuter shuttle also connects the airport to Manteno, Bourbonnais, and Kankakee County.
Tight on space at Midway International Airport
The current operating terminal at Midway opened in 2001. Following the September 11 attacks, the security area was deemed too small for suitable new screening measures. This meant that the screening area expanded inwards, reducing space between concourses.
A new construction project set out to expand the main parking garage and security checkpoint, which, once completed, will allow for 17 security lanes. An extension to the central food court and an additional 1,500 parking spaces have improved the airport's functionality.
Today, the airport has one terminal, with 43 gates across three concourses.
