Direct Flights from Chicago to Louisville
Louisville · Kentucky
Nonstop service from ORD and MDW to SDF on American, Southwest, United. Here's the schedule at a glance — plus what to do once you land.
Which airports fly this route
Chicago has 2 airports with nonstop service to Louisville. Fares differ by airport — each row opens that exact search on Kayak.
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- Find flights ↗ORDSDFChicago O'Hare International
- Find flights ↗MDWSDFChicago Midway International
How rare is this nonstop?
32 cities have a nonstop to Louisville, Chicago among them.
How long to go to Louisville for, from Chicago
1h 5m in the air, 287 miles: short enough that a single night in Louisville is worth it, and a day trip is not absurd.
With roughly 12 departures a day, you are not tied to one flight: if a meeting overruns or the weather turns, there is another one behind it.
About Louisville
Louisville, the largest city in Kentucky, is known for the Kentucky Derby horserace and as the "gateway to the south" from southern Indiana. It's a lively mid-sized city with an excellent dining scene, ample opportunities for bourbon tasting, and interesting public art. Louisville is also the namesake of the Official Bat of Major League Baseball — the Louisville Slugger.
Summary from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA).
Top things to do in Louisville
- The Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), formally the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (NSSAR), is a federally chartered patriotic organization.
- The Basilica of Saint Joseph Proto-Cathedral is a Catholic parish church at 310 West Stephen Foster Avenue in Bardstown, Kentucky.
- The Wyandotte Caves is a pair of limestone caves located on the Ohio River in Harrison–Crawford State Forest in Crawford County, Indiana, 5 miles (8 km) northeast of Leavenworth and 12 miles (19 km) from Corydon.
- The Louisville Zoological Gardens, commonly known as the Louisville Zoo, is a 134-acre (54 ha) zoo in Louisville, Kentucky, situated in the city's Poplar Level neighborhood.
- Kentucky Kingdom, formerly known as Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, is a theme park in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. The 67-acre (27 ha) park includes a collection of amusement rides and the Hurricane Bay water park.
- The Cathedral of the Assumption is a Catholic cathedral in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. It is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Louisville. As of 2025, it is the seat of Archbishop Shelton J.
- The Muhammad Ali Center is a non-profit museum and cultural center dedicated to boxer Muhammad Ali in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. Ali, a native of Louisville, and his wife Lonnie Ali founded the museum in 2005.
- The Palace Theatre is a music venue in downtown Louisville, Kentucky, located in the city's theater district, on the east side of Fourth Street, between Broadway and Chestnut Street.
- Falls of the Ohio State Park is a state park in the U.S. state of Indiana. It is located on the banks of the Ohio River at Clarksville, Indiana, across from Louisville, Kentucky.
- Bernheim Forest and Arboretum, formerly Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, is a 16,346-acre (66.15 km2) arboretum, forest, and nature preserve located in Clermont, Kentucky.
- Zachary Taylor National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located at 4701 Brownsboro Road (US-42), in Louisville, Kentucky.
- Marengo Cave is a privately owned cave located in Marengo, Indiana. One of only four show caves in Indiana, public tours of the cave have been given since 1883.
Attraction descriptions from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA); place data from Wikidata (CC0).
Louisville weather, compared with Chicago
9° warmer than Chicago on average across the year, on daytime highs:
- January
- Louisville 43°F · Chicago 31°F · 12° warmer
- April
- Louisville 69°F · Chicago 59°F · 10° warmer
- July
- Louisville 89°F · Chicago 84°F · 5° warmer
- October
- Louisville 70°F · Chicago 62°F · 8° warmer
January bottoms out near 43°F — a real coat, not a layer.
Average daily highs, 1991–2020 station normals from Meteostat (CC BY 4.0), measured at each city's airport.
Planning a trip to Louisville
- Best time to visit
- The best time to visit Louisville is April–May and September–October, when daytime highs are a comfortable 69–82°F.
- How long to stay
- Louisville rewards a longer visit — a full week lets you explore its many sights, from Sons of the American Revolution, Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral, and Wyandotte Caves and beyond.
Frequently asked questions
- Is there a direct flight from Chicago to Louisville?
- Yes — you can fly nonstop from Chicago (ORD, MDW) to Louisville (SDF) on American, Southwest, United.
- Which airlines fly nonstop from Chicago to Louisville?
- American, Southwest, United fly nonstop between Chicago (ORD, MDW) and Louisville (SDF).
- Which Chicago airport has nonstop flights to Louisville?
- You can leave from 2 Chicago airports: ORD (Chicago O'Hare International) on American, United; MDW (Chicago Midway International) on Southwest.
- How many nonstop flights are there from Chicago to Louisville?
- There are about 12 nonstop departures per day (roughly 84 per week) from Chicago to Louisville.
- How far is Louisville from Chicago?
- Louisville is about 287 miles from Chicago by air.
- What is there to do in Louisville?
- Popular things to do include Sons of the American Revolution, Basilica of St. Joseph Proto-Cathedral, Wyandotte Caves, Louisville Zoo, and more.
More nonstop destinations from Chicago near Louisville
Airports near Chicago
The closest other departure airports to Chicago — each opens up more nonstop destinations.