Chicago to Houston (ORD–IAH) — 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–IAH is served by 6 airlines with nonstop service. United Airlines, American Airlines and Frontier lead the route. The flight covers 926 miles in approximately 2h 54m. Beyond nonstop, 1-stop connecting options are also available.
Airline Landscape
| Airline | Freq/wk | Aircraft | Duration | Dep OTP | Alliance | Codeshares |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UA United Airlines Also: AV, EK, NZ, OS, SN | 122 | 32Q, 739, 7M9, A21N, B39M | 2h05-3h41 | Star Alliance | AV, EK, NZ, OS, SN | |
| AA American Airlines Also: AS, AY, CX, EI, GF, IB, QR, RJ | 61 | 319, 738, E75S | 2h33-3h02 | Oneworld | AS, AY, CX, EI, GF, IB, QR, RJ | |
| F9 Frontier Also: Y4 | 7 | 32Q | 3h17 | – | Y4 | |
| TK Turkish Airlines | 1 | 77X | 1h47 | Star Alliance | – | |
| NK Spirit Airlines | 0 | – | – | – | – | |
| OO SkyWest Airlines | 0 | – | – | – | – |
Weekly Schedule Pattern
Connection Landscape
On-Time Performance
Other ways to reach Houston from Chicago
| Metric | ORD→IAH | MDW→IAH | RFD→IAH |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distance from ORD | – | 15 mi | 63 mi |
| Nonstop airlines | 6 | 6 | 1 |
| Weekly flights | 415 | 1 | – |
| Flight time | 2h 54m | 3h | 2h 30m |
| Departure OTP | 76% | – | – |
Travel Essentials
ORD: CDT · IAH: CDT
When it's 6:00 PM in Chicago, it's 6:00 PM in Houston.
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.
No direct rail from IAH. The METRO bus 102 (IAH Express) runs to downtown Houston's transit center (60–90 min, $1.25). Taxis to downtown Houston cost $50–70. Ride-hails pick up at the designated Rideshare zones outside baggage claim on the lower level.IAH has five terminals (A–E) connected by an underground tunnel with trams. Terminal D handles international arrivals. Rental car agencies are in a consolidated facility adjacent to Terminal C; a free IAH Connector bus runs between terminals and the rental car center. The Galleria / Uptown area costs $35–50 by ride-hail.
Humid subtropical climate. Hot, humid, and wet for much of the year. Summers are brutal (33–38°C) with high humidity and near-daily afternoon thunderstorms. Severe storms with hail and high winds regularly cause ground stops from April through September. Houston's flooding risk is significant. Heavy rain events, including tropical system remnants, have flooded airport roads, cutting off surface access even when the airport itself remains operational.
Winters are mild (5–18°C) with occasional ice storms. These are rare but highly disruptive when they occur. Hurricane season (June–November) requires monitoring for Gulf storms. October through March has the best flying weather.
ORD–IAH Quick Facts
Frequently Asked Questions
Chicago O'Hare to Houston Intercontinental: United's South-Central Spine
ORD–IAH is United's primary Chicago-to-Houston corridor, connecting two of the carrier's largest hubs with multiple daily departures. The 2.5-hour block time sustains a full day-return business banking pattern. United holds a commanding share of capacity; American provides limited competition. The route carries heavy energy and petrochemical industry traffic between Chicago's financial sector and Houston's oil and gas companies, with a secondary consumer demand base from the large Texas diaspora in the Midwest.
IAH as a Latin America Gateway
For ORD passengers connecting beyond Houston, IAH offers United's most comprehensive Latin American network, with nonstop service to Mexico City, Bogotá, Lima, São Paulo, Buenos Aires, and many other destinations. United's IAH hub is specifically positioned as the primary gateway to Central and South America within the carrier's network. The underground Subway train at IAH connecting Terminals A through E makes domestic-to-international connections efficient, and the minimum connection time for United domestic-to-international is 90 minutes under most conditions.