Midway Travel Restrictions Include Southwest Airlines

CHICAGO, IL — Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a statewide emergency stay-at-home order Friday, in effect until Tuesday, April 7. However, according to flychicago.com, "airport operations have been exempted from the order as essential infrastructure and business, and O'Hare and Midway International Airports will remain open to facilitate essential travel and the movement of goods."

The Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) has also updated details of specific actions they're taking in an effort to reduce the impact of the coronavirus in Chicago.

In addition, most Southwest Airlines flights in and out of Midway International Airport are cancelled, the airline announced Friday. The cancellation of more than 170 flights to and from the Dallas-based airlines' Chicago hub come after federal authorities closed the airport's control tower earlier this week after workers tested positive for the coronavirus, according to the news report.

The announcement was made in an email from Southwest Airlines spokesperson Ro Hawthorne.

Related:

• Coronavirus In Illinois: March 20 Update
• Midway Control Tower Closed After Positive Coronavirus Tests

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However, Midway International Airport tweeted a statement Friday afternoon, contradicting the most recent news from Southwest Airlines.

Midway International Airport is still open, and @southwest is still flying. Check with your airline for the latest flight information.
— Midway Intl. Airport (@fly2midway) March 20, 2020

Southwest Airlines is extending the expiration date of some travel funds, according to an email message sent Friday from Southwest SVP and Chief Marketing Officer, Ryan Green:

• Customers' funds that have expired or will expire between March 1-May 31, 2020, will now expire June 30, 2021.
• Any travel funds created because of a flight cancellation between March 1-May 31, 2020, will have an expiration date of June 30, 2021.

Patch will update this news as more information becomes available.