SW gates at Midway
May 5, 2013, 12:16 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 21
SW gates at Midway
I have a tight connection in Midway to Seattle. Are all SW's gates in the same concourse, or might I have to switch? I'll be traveling with my grandmother who may or may not need wheelchair assistance, so I want to be prepared for how rushed we'll need to be.
May 5, 2013, 12:25 pm
#2
Join Date: Oct 2001
Programs: LTP, PP
Posts: 8,710
No they ain't and there can be some horrible lengthy treks like B22 to A10. Or they can be side by side, you never know. They probably won't leave without you but seat selection could be an issue. Best to let someone know especially if a wheelchair is involved, maybe insist on it in advance just in case. I'm sure others with more "pre-board" experience will chime in here...
May 5, 2013, 2:11 pm
#3
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Chicago
Programs: Southwest | A-list preferred + CP || Marriott | Gold
Posts: 70
As the other responder said, you could probably pre-board with your grandmother, sit right in the front, and then get off as soon as the plane parks. The flight attendants are usually pretty good about helping people with connections. Also, MDW has a bunch of high-school age looking people who transport wheelchair passengers around the airport.
MDW is basically a Y-shaped terminal, and Southwest takes up almost the entirety of 2 prongs of the Y, so if your connections are on opposite ends, it could take awhile. That said, most of the flights do go in and out of the B-concourse, so hopefully you don't have much of a walk.
May 6, 2013, 6:42 pm
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2000
Location: RDU
Programs: AA LT Gold, DL SM, HY Disc, Marriott LT Gold
Posts: 12,516
The worst case scenario involves gate A4A/A4B, which is a good two blocks away from any other gate.
If you go to maps.google.com, put in Midway Airport Chicago IL, and then switch to Satellite view, Southwest has the biggest concourse (B), the half of the one below it furthest from the terminal (rough A9-A23) and the two little planes at the bottom south of 60th street (A4A and A4B).
If you go to maps.google.com, put in Midway Airport Chicago IL, and then switch to Satellite view, Southwest has the biggest concourse (B), the half of the one below it furthest from the terminal (rough A9-A23) and the two little planes at the bottom south of 60th street (A4A and A4B).
May 6, 2013, 7:08 pm
#5
Join Date: Oct 2001
Programs: LTP, PP
Posts: 8,710
The worst case scenario involves gate A4A/A4B, which is a good two blocks away from any other gate.
If you go to maps.google.com, put in Midway Airport Chicago IL, and then switch to Satellite view, Southwest has the biggest concourse (B), the half of the one below it furthest from the terminal (rough A9-A23) and the two little planes at the bottom south of 60th street (A4A and A4B).
If you go to maps.google.com, put in Midway Airport Chicago IL, and then switch to Satellite view, Southwest has the biggest concourse (B), the half of the one below it furthest from the terminal (rough A9-A23) and the two little planes at the bottom south of 60th street (A4A and A4B).
May 6, 2013, 8:05 pm
#6
Join Date: Mar 2006
Programs: WN Rapid Rewards, Delta Skymiles
Posts: 400
In all my years of flying out of MDW I never knew those two gates existed! I'm certainly glad I've never had to make that hike.
May 6, 2013, 8:11 pm
#7
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: ORD, MDW or MKE
Programs: American and Southwest. Hilton and Marriott hotels primarily.
Posts: 6,466
They have only recently been Southwest gates, though I believe they were Southwest gates a long time ago. For a while they were unused. At different times they have been ATA gates and Airtran gates.
At least now they have some amenities out there.
At least now they have some amenities out there.
May 6, 2013, 8:45 pm
#8
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Nashville, TN
Programs: WN Nothing and spending the half million points from too many flights, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 8,043
Like normalone, I had no idea they were there.
Last edited by InkUnderNails; May 6, 2013 at 8:54 pm
May 7, 2013, 1:12 am
#10
Join Date: May 2006
Location: TUS/PDX
Programs: WN CP/A-List, AS MVPG75K
Posts: 5,798
Perhaps the people who assign gates for WN monitor passenger lists to find people they don't like. If they don't like you, you get sent from B24 to A4B.
May 7, 2013, 5:26 pm
#11
Moderator: Southwest Airlines, Capital One
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: California
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May 7, 2013, 7:52 pm
#12
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Nashville, TN
Programs: WN Nothing and spending the half million points from too many flights, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 8,043
Thanks!
Well, I am a printer. Image manipulation is what we do.
For those that want to know, Google Maps, Snipping tool to cut, opened in Corel image editor and added the ellipse, saved as jpeg, uploaded to my Photobucket library, sized to fit page, and generated a link.
Piece of cake.
Well, I am a printer. Image manipulation is what we do.
For those that want to know, Google Maps, Snipping tool to cut, opened in Corel image editor and added the ellipse, saved as jpeg, uploaded to my Photobucket library, sized to fit page, and generated a link.
Piece of cake.
May 8, 2013, 7:00 am
#13
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Chicago
Programs: SWA A-List Preferred and Companion Pass holder, AirTran A+ Elite, Marriott Gold, Hilton Silver
Posts: 119
Anyone know the backstory on those two gates?
It seems like it was a ton of work to add in the concourse, and now the big seating area out there, just for two gates?
Is there some way they can expand that in the future?
Its always hit me as strange!
Any ideas?
It seems like it was a ton of work to add in the concourse, and now the big seating area out there, just for two gates?
Is there some way they can expand that in the future?
Its always hit me as strange!
Any ideas?
May 8, 2013, 7:34 am
#14
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Nashville, TN
Programs: WN Nothing and spending the half million points from too many flights, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 8,043
Seems like it's an ATA-AirTran-Southwest thing.
Source.
Source.
Source. Hit the link and check the photo. Funny.
Source. Grammar and spelling in original.
Interactive map.
Yes, you have to zoom out to see them.
Starting in early 2009, a construction project added a new walkway and food court to Concourse A. The project also connected gates A4A and A4B to the main A concourse. Expansions were completed in the spring of 2010.
Where does it say FL uses C2? I checked Arrivals/Departures for AirTran and it listed A4A, A10, and A12. I know they also use A4B when they are busy, and AirTran has leased those four gates in Concourse A. Continental has leased out all 3 gates (C1, C2, C3) in Concourse C, and Delta subleases C1 from COA since they don't have near enough flights/day to use all three. Sox23 22:35, 28 November 2007 (UTC)
Yesterday I had the pleasure of flying ATA BOS-MDW-DFW & was fortunate enough to depart from Gate A4B at MDW.
For those of you who haven't had the honor of departing from one of those gates, picture this:
For those of you who haven't had the honor of departing from one of those gates, picture this:
In early 2009, building set about on an enlargement of Concourse A. The new area will replace the being walk to entrances A4A and A4B, and will characteristic new grants and a new maintaining appartment. The labor is scheduled to be complete in Spring 2010.
Interactive map.
Yes, you have to zoom out to see them.
May 8, 2013, 10:29 am
#15
FlyerTalk Evangelist
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Location: RDU
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Posts: 12,516
The other interesting gate at Midway is A8. It exists and has re-emerged after some of the construction. But it has no seating area or even a place for customers to wait, just stairs to go downstairs. Needless to say, nothing seems to ever operate from there.
I get the impression that the stairs lead to the same walkway under A1-A3 for international arriving passengers, but I have never been able to verify that. The next time I get shunted out to A4A, I'll have to go over to the windows and look back at A8.
I get the impression that the stairs lead to the same walkway under A1-A3 for international arriving passengers, but I have never been able to verify that. The next time I get shunted out to A4A, I'll have to go over to the windows and look back at A8.