Chicago to Denver (ORD–DEN) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections
No flights match your filters.
No scheduled airline flights on this route — it's flown by charter / private operators (). No nonstop flights on this route. connecting options below.
Most recently operated nonstop flights — the month shown is when each was last scheduled. Most destinations remain reachable with a connection.
No discontinued nonstop flights on record for this route.
ORD–DEN is served by 8 airlines with nonstop service. United Airlines, American Airlines and Frontier lead the route. The flight covers 886 miles in approximately 2h 50m. Beyond nonstop, 1-stop connecting options are also available.
Airline Landscape
| Airline | Freq/wk | Aircraft | Duration | Dep OTP | Alliance | Codeshares |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UA United Airlines Also: AC, CM, EK, LX, OS, SN | 133 | 32Q, 739, 7M9, A21N | 2h39-3h | Star Alliance | AC, CM, EK, LX, OS, SN | |
| AA American Airlines Also: AY, BA, EI, GF, IB, QR, RJ | 68 | 319, 321, 738, E75 | 2h41-2h53 | Oneworld | AY, BA, EI, GF, IB, QR, RJ | |
| F9 Frontier Also: Y4 | 12 | 321, A21N | 3h02-3h04 | – | Y4 | |
| KG Key Lime Air | 1 | – | – | – | – | |
| OO SkyWest Airlines | 1 | – | – | – | – | |
| DL Delta Air Lines | 0 | – | – | SkyTeam | – | |
| LF Contour Airlines | 0 | – | – | – | – | |
| WN Southwest Airlines | 0 | – | – | – | – |
Weekly Schedule Pattern
Connection Landscape
On-Time Performance
Other ways to reach Denver from Chicago
| Metric | ORD→DEN | MDW→DEN | RFD→DEN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distance from ORD | – | 15 mi | 63 mi |
| Nonstop airlines | 8 | 6 | 1 |
| Weekly flights | 472 | 99 | – |
| Flight time | 2h 50m | 2h 21m | 2h 26m |
| Departure OTP | 73% | – | – |
Travel Essentials
ORD: CDT · DEN: MDT
When it's 6:00 PM in Chicago, it's 5:00 PM in Denver.
CTA Blue Line runs 24/7 from downtown Loop stations to O'Hare (45 min, $5). Pace buses serve suburbs. Ride-shares cost $35–55 from downtown depending on traffic; add 30+ minutes during rush hour on the Kennedy Expressway.Economy parking lots E/F connect via ATS people mover. Terminal 5 (international) is separate from Terminals 1–3; allow extra time for inter-terminal transfers.
RTD A Line runs to Denver Union Station (37 min, $10.50) with connections to light rail and bus routes. Taxis have meters; expect $55–65 to downtown.DEN's tent-roof Jeppesen Terminal is a single building; all three concourses connect via the underground automated train. Rental cars are on level 5. For ski resorts, shuttle services depart from Ground Transportation.
Semi-arid with 300+ days of sunshine. Summers are dry and warm (27–34°C) with afternoon thunderstorms that produce dramatic but brief delays. Winters bring cold temperatures (−8 to 5°C) and heavy blizzards that can shut down ground operations.
Spring snowstorms can be heavier than midwinter ones. Altitude (5,430 ft) means low humidity year-round; stay hydrated.
ORD–DEN Quick Facts
Frequently Asked Questions
Chicago O'Hare to Denver: Midwest to Mountain West Connection
The Chicago–Denver corridor links two of the country's major aviation hubs across the Great Plains, serving a mix of business travelers, ski season leisure passengers, and connecting traffic moving between United's ORD and DEN hub complexes. Seven carriers operate 257 weekly departures, with United holding the dominant schedule position as the hub carrier at both airports. Southwest provides significant low-fare competition with its large DEN operation.
Denver as a Mountain West Hub
Denver International is the primary gateway to the Colorado ski resorts and a hub for United's transcontinental network. Chicago passengers transiting Denver can connect to Aspen, Eagle, Telluride, and Jackson Hole. None of those are served directly from O'Hare. DEN's single-terminal design with three concourses is compact enough that domestic connection times of 40–50 minutes are generally adequate.