What you're seeing over Chicago
Over Chicago, the plane overhead is almost always headed to or from O'Hare or Midway. O'Hare, northwest of the city, is one of the busiest airports in the world and a hub for both United and American. Midway, on the Southwest Side, is a Southwest Airlines stronghold squeezed into a single square mile of city grid.
Which parts of the city see low aircraft depends mainly on the wind. O'Hare's runways run east-west, so in west flow, arrivals line up over the city and the North Shore heading west toward the runways, and in east flow the arrivals come in over the western suburbs while departures climb out eastward over the city. Midway's approaches cross the Southwest Side at low altitude in most configurations. Higher up, transcontinental and transatlantic flights cross the region constantly, and Lake Michigan acts as a highway for traffic coming down from Canada and the upper Midwest. On busy evenings you can watch several O'Hare arrivals strung out over the lake at once. The live map shows each one's flight number and destination; check our guide to noise and flight paths if you are wondering why your street is busy today.
Airports near Chicago
- major hubORDO'Hare International Airport
KORD · 16 miles northwest of downtown
A hub for both United and American with a parallel east-west runway layout. Live traffic at ORD ↗ - commercialMDWChicago Midway International Airport
KMDW · 9 miles southwest of downtown
A compact city airport dominated by Southwest Airlines, surrounded on all sides by neighborhoods. Live traffic at MDW ↗ - relieverPWKChicago Executive Airport
KPWK · 21 miles northwest of downtown
A busy business-aviation airport in Wheeling that relieves O'Hare of corporate traffic. Live traffic at PWK ↗ - general aviationGYYGary/Chicago International Airport
KGYY · 21 miles southeast of downtown
An Indiana airport southeast of the city used by business jets and charters. Live traffic at GYY ↗ - cargoRFDChicago Rockford International Airport
KRFD · 78 miles west of downtown
A major UPS facility and growing cargo airport about 70 miles northwest of downtown. Live traffic at RFD ↗
Common traffic over Chicago
United and American both run large hubs at O'Hare, so a big share of what you see is United's 737 MAX 9s, A320-family jets and 787s, American's A321s and 737-800s, and a heavy stream of regional jets flown by their partner airlines. International carriers bring widebodies from Europe, Asia and the Middle East, many arriving in the afternoon. Midway is overwhelmingly Southwest 737s.
How the flows look in plain English:
- West flow (winds from the west, common much of the year): O'Hare arrivals come in from the east over the North Side and near-north suburbs on their way to the runways, and departures head west over the suburbs.
- East flow (winds from the east, often with lake breezes or storms): the pattern flips, arrivals line up over the western suburbs and departures climb out over the city toward the lake.
Arrivals to O'Hare are often sequenced over Lake Michigan and then turned west, which is why lakefront residents see a parade of jets at 4,000 to 7,000 feet. Midway's approaches cross the Southwest Side at a few hundred to a couple of thousand feet.
Cargo is a big part of Chicago's traffic. O'Hare handles a large volume of international freight on 747 and 777 freighters, and Rockford hosts a major UPS operation. Helicopters include TV news, Chicago police, and medevac flights to downtown hospitals; the lakefront also sees tour helicopters in summer. The Chicago Air and Water Show each August brings military jets low along the lakefront.
Aircraft you'll often see here
Boeing 737-800
narrowbody airliner
Boeing 737 MAX 9
narrowbody airliner
Airbus A321
narrowbody airliner
Airbus A320
narrowbody airliner
Embraer E175
regional jet
Bombardier CRJ900
regional jet
Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner
long-haul widebody twin-jet
Boeing 777-300ER
long-haul widebody twin-jet
Plane-spotting tips for Chicago
At O'Hare, the public roads and parks along the airport's edges in Rosemont, Bensenville and Des Plaines are popular with spotters; check which runways are in use before you pick a side. For Midway, the corner of 63rd and Central sits close to the runway ends, and planes land and take off over the neighborhood just above the rooftops. Downtown, North Avenue Beach and the lakefront trail are good for watching arrivals turn in over the lake in west flow. Winter can bring crisp, clear days with excellent visibility, while summer lake fog sometimes hides aircraft over the water. The Chicago Air and Water Show each August turns the whole lakefront into one long viewing area.
Chicago sky questions
Why are planes flying over the lakefront?
O'Hare arrivals coming from the east and north are often lined up over Lake Michigan before turning west toward the airport. In west flow, that puts a steady line of jets over the lakefront and North Side.
Which way is O'Hare landing today?
Watch the arrivals on the live map. If jets are descending westbound over the city toward O'Hare, the airport is in west flow; if they are descending eastbound over the western suburbs, it is in east flow.
Why are planes so low near Midway?
Midway is surrounded by houses and businesses with almost no buffer, so any aircraft on final approach or initial climb passes just a few hundred feet over the Southwest Side.
Nearby cities
Planes over Milwaukee (81 mi) · Planes over Indianapolis (165 mi) · Planes over Detroit (237 mi) · Planes over Cincinnati (252 mi)