Car Rental at Chicago Midway Airport MDW

Airport travel guide

Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) is Chicago’s, and the state of Illinois’s, second-busiest airport. Located about 10 miles from downtown Chicago, the airport primarily has service to domestic destinations along with some destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean. The airport is much smaller and slightly closer to downtown than Chicago’s other major airport, O’Hare. 

Southwest Airlines comprises the overwhelming majority of commercial airline traffic at the airport with connections to destinations across the country. 

Rental cars from all major companies are available at the Rental Car Center just north of the airport. 

The airport doesn't only serve the city, but also many places worth visiting around Chicago.

Top international routes

• Atlanta
• Phoenix
• Orlando
• Denver
• Dallas
• New York City
• Las Vegas
• Minneapolis
• Washington, D.C.
• Kansas City, Missouri

Main airlines

Southwest Airlines has by far the most traffic at Chicago Midway with the airport being its largest focus city. In fact, about 95% of passengers using Midway fly with Southwest. Delta uses the airport for connections to Atlanta, Detroit, and Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Internationally, besides Southwest Airlines serving Cancun and destinations in the Caribbean, Porter Airlines serves Toronto and Volaris, a Mexican low-cost airline, serves a few Mexican cities.

Terminals

There is one terminal at Midway that is divided into three concourses: A, B, and C.

The top rental companies for domestic customers are Alamo, Dollar, and Thrifty. International renters can rent from National. Shuttles to the rental car center leave from Door 2 of the Lower Level about every 15 minutes all hours of the day and every day of the week.

Location

Midway is roughly 10 miles southwest of downtown Chicago. The most direct route between the two is I-55. The time it takes to make the drive depending on traffic. At non-peak times, it can take only 20 minutes. During rush hour, it can take an hour or more. Plan your return to the airport accordingly.

Most popular types of rental car

• Small cars - from $96 per day
• Medium cars - from $96 per day
• Large cars - from $97 per day
• SUVs - from $96 per day
• Vans - from $147 per day
• Premium cars - from $166 per day

Car rental desks

The airport has a rental car facility located at 5150 W. 55th Street which is just north of the airport. Shuttles to the rental car center leave from door 2 of the Lower Level about every 15 minutes all hours of the day and every day of the week.

Services and facilities

Midway Airport has most of the services and facilities one would expect from a large domestic airport. The most notable benefit of the airport is that it is significantly smaller than O’Hare and can take less time to get through. Just after the security checkpoint, there is the Central Market which has cafes, restaurants, and shops, some of which are open 24 hours. There are more cafes and restaurants in both concourses. There are no lounges at the airport, though. As usual, there are hotels just outside of the airport with free shuttle services in case you have an early morning flight and would like to return your car the previous evening.

Nearest gas station

There are multiple gas stations along S Cicero Avenue between I-55 and the airport. They are, however, overpriced. Unless you are just topping up before returning your rental car, it is best to fill up elsewhere. One alternative is a Mobil station just a half-mile past the rental center on W 55th St. Another option is to exit onto South Central Ave. where multiple stations with competitive prices can be found. From there it is easy to get to the Rental Car Center. If coming from the south, you can stop at any station before you reach the airport.

Popular one-way rentals

• Milwaukee (105 miles / 169 km)
• Evanston, Illinois (25 miles / 40 km)
• Indianapolis (188 miles / 303 km)
• Cleveland (350 miles / 563 km)
• St. Louis (289 miles / 465 km)
• Des Moines (333 miles / 536 km)