Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW)
History, Facts and Overview

(Chicago, Illinois - IL, USA)

In 1927, Midway Airport was opened by Mayor Thompson and christened as the city's Municipal Airport. The following year it served more than 40,000 passengers, on around 14,000 different flights. By the mid-1930s, passenger levels had soared past 100,000 and the very first terminal was completed. International flights to Europe commenced in 1945 and most significantly in 1949, the name of the airport was changed to the Chicago Midway Airport (MDW), remembering the naval Battle of Midway in June 1942.

Today, Chicago Midway Airport is home to just over 40 different shops and places to eat, which are particularly gathered around the Midway Boulevard, between Concourses A, B and C.


Passengers will be able to find snacks at Hudson's EuroCafé, the Illinois Bar & Grill, Manny's Coffee Shop, Potbelly Sandwiches and the Dot-Com Café, where you can access the web whilst sipping your coffee. For last-minute gifts, Chicago Treasures is worth a look.

Other passenger facilities at Chicago Midway Airport include an inter-faith chapel on the Mezzanine Level of Concourse C, ATMs operated by national US banks, various information kiosks, an airline paging service, public telephones and a USO area for members of the military. Art lovers should look out for the various sculptures and paintings on display around the airport, which include the eye-catching Battle of Midway Memorial and a colourful glass mural created by Karl Wirsum.