Chicago Midway International Airport
| Continent: North America | Country: United States | Region: Illinois |
| Chicago Midway International Airport | |
| Location | Chicago, Illinois |
| IATA code | MDW |
| ICAO code | KMDW |
| Airport type | Commercial |
| Website | http://www.flychicago.com/midway/home.asp |
| Overview map | Google Maps |
| Communications | |
| Tower | |
| Ground | |
| Clearance | |
| Approach | |
| ATIS | |
Official Spotting Locations
No known official spotting locations. All locations arround airport are chcked by Chicago Police and airport security.
Other Spotting Locations
Main Parking Lot
There are a lot of locations around the airport. First of all is the parking lot located at 55th half-way along the north side of the airport. On the 6th floor there is a great view of 75% of airfield. The remaining part is blocked by maintenance buildings and hangers. Full view of the runway 22 threshold so all aircraft landing from north-east are clearly visible. Also good point to take a shots of aircraft taxiing to the terminal and departing from runway 22. Aircraft that end their flights are visible with thrust reverses turned on at the midpoint of runway 04.
Streets
You can stay on the streets that surround the airport. Watch for police patrols, but they are friendly and they'll probably like to talk with planespotters. Good place is a Central/65th street corner. Depending on lighting you can move little east or west off Central along 63th street. Good place to spot aircraft approaching runway 04 and departing from runway 22.
A small parking lot in the middle of 63th street is also a good spot.
Next good spot is a place near Central/55th next to the bus parking lot. Good place to spot departures from runway 31 and arrivals on runway 13.
Sometimes there is an opportunity to take a shot through the fence along Central near Signature Flight Support. But watch for police.
Locations to Avoid
Location
Regular Traffic
Southwest accounts for more than 80% of commercial traffic at the airport so the majority of flights will be 737s. AirTran also flies several 737s daily along with 717s. Delta/Northwest send a variety of types ranging from CRJs to 757s and everything in between, depending on demand. Other airlines include Frontier with the A320 series, and Porter with Dash-8 Q400s.