£98 Find Cheap Flights from Chicago to San Francisco – Compare and Save

Among airlines operating Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to San Francisco flights:

• United Airlines: offers extra legroom; offers free seat selection
• American Airlines: offers extra legroom; offers free seat selection

Extra legroom and free seat selection availability depends on fare class and route.

2 airlines operate flights between Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport and San Francisco. The airlines offering direct flights on this route include:

• United Airlines
• American Airlines

Flights from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to San Francisco usually depart from Chicago O'Hare Intl (ORD) and arrive at San Francisco (SFO).

Here are some options for this route, based on selected ticket types and cabin classes:

• United Airlines: a cabin bag and a checked bag in Economy class
• American Airlines: a cabin bag and a checked bag in Economy class
• JetBlue: a cabin bag in Economy class class

Bag allowance can vary by ticket type, cabin class, route, and airline, so travellers should check the fare details before booking.

Only Economy class is available on flights from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to San Francisco.

On this route, stopover flights are cheaper than direct options on average. Stopover fares average £159 return via Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), compared with £286 for direct.

There is no standard. Checked bag policies vary by airline on this route. Most carriers charge £30–£74 for the first checked bag in Economy. Premium fares and elite status bookings typically include a free checked bag.

The Boeing 757-300 family is used most often on this route, operated mainly by United Airlines. Other aircraft seen on the route include Airbus A321-100/200 variants.

One-stop flights from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to San Francisco most commonly connect through:

• San Diego (SAN) – 28% of one-stop connections
• Denver Intl (DEN) – 25% of one-stop connections
• Las Vegas Harry Reid Intl (LAS) – 12% of one-stop connections
• Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson (ATL) – 10% of one-stop connections

San Diego (SAN) handles the largest share of one-stop connections on this route.

Yes. Being flexible with your travel dates can save you up to 33% on the Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to San Francisco route. Wednesday is the cheapest departure day at £258 return on average, while Monday is the most expensive at £383, a difference of £125. KAYAK's flexible dates feature shows options up to 3 days before and after your selected dates, making it easier to compare nearby fares.

A flight is considered delayed when it departs 15 minutes or more after its scheduled time. This is the standard used by the US Department of Transportation and most airline industry reporting. On the Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to San Francisco route, 25% of flights were delayed in the past 3 months, with delays averaging 2 hours 48 minutes.

Morning is the busiest departure period on Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to San Francisco flights, with 35% leaving in that window. Afternoon departures account for 35%, Evening flights for 20%, and Night flights for 10%.

Some of the most popular sights in San Francisco are Union Square, Fisherman's Wharf, and Moscone Center. These are among the most viewed places in San Francisco on KAYAK.

These are the earliest and latest flight times available from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to San Francisco:

• Earliest: departs at 00:01 and lands at 04:55
• Latest: departs at 22:00 and lands at 02:54.

The flight takes about 4h 54m.

Last-minute fares on this route (booked within 2 weeks of departure) run 56% above the route average of £283. Book 9 weeks before departure for the lowest fares.

A direct flight from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to San Francisco takes 4h 54m, covering 1,841 miles.

No, a passport is not required for this domestic route, but you will need a real ID-compliant driver's license, a state ID, or another TSA-accepted form of identification.

Yes. Based on fares seen in the past 5 days, return flight prices on this route showed a wide range, from about £189 to £1,839. That means the highest observed fare was about 10x higher than the lowest one.

One-way fares from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to San Francisco are currently lower than usual. Average one-way flight prices are about £119, which is 38% below the typical average for this route.

United Airlines is slightly above the route average for timely arrivals, while American Airlines has a lower on-time arrival rate. On-time arrival rates on Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to San Francisco flights are:

• United Airlines: 78% on time
• American Airlines: 69% on time
• Alaska Airlines: 63% on time

On average, flights on this route are punctual 75% of the time.

Morning flights have the fewest delays on this route. Delays tend to pile up throughout the day as one late flight pushes the next, so earlier departures are usually more reliable.

Flying via Salt Lake City (SLC) gives the shortest average 1-stop total travel time of 6h 24m, compared to 7h 00m via Portland (PDX) and 7h 27m via Los Angeles (LAX).

San Francisco is 2 hours behind Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport (Pacific Time vs Central Time). Plan for the time shift when scheduling connections or first-day activities.

San Francisco Airport (SFO) hosts 5 major car hire companies, with daily rates starting from around £11 for economy cars. Top options include:
· Thrifty
· Europcar
· Dollar
· Hertz
· Fox

Return flights from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to San Francisco range from £223 to £368, with an average of £283 over the past 12 months. Anything below £223 counts as a good deal.

Two airlines offer in-flight Wi-Fi on Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to San Francisco flights:

• • American Airlines
• • JetBlue