Chicago to San Francisco (ORD–SFO) — 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–SFO is served by 2 airlines with nonstop service. United Airlines and American Airlines lead the route. The flight covers 1,842 miles in approximately 4h 48m. 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, AZ, CA, EK, NH, NZ, OS, OZ, SN, VA | 107 | 32Q, 739, 753, 772, 777, 7M9, A21N, B39M | 4h25-4h57 | Star Alliance | AC, AZ, CA, EK, NH, NZ, OS, OZ, SN, VA | |
| AA American Airlines Also: AY, CZ, EI, FJ, GF, IB, QF, QR, RJ | 70 | 321, 738 | 4h30-4h47 | Oneworld | AY, CZ, EI, FJ, GF, IB, QF, QR, RJ |
Weekly Schedule Pattern
Connection Landscape
On-Time Performance
Other ways to reach San Francisco from Chicago
| Metric | ORD→SFO | MDW→SFO | RFD→SFO |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distance from ORD | – | 15 mi | 63 mi |
| Nonstop airlines | 2 | 10 | 1 |
| Weekly flights | 507 | 27 | 1 |
| Flight time | 4h 48m | 3h 55m | 4h 35m |
| Departure OTP | 86% | – | – |
Travel Essentials
ORD: CDT · SFO: PDT
When it's 6:00 PM in Chicago, it's 4:00 PM in San Francisco.
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.
BART from SFO station (free AirTrain from any terminal to the station) to downtown San Francisco takes 30–40 minutes ($10.45 to Embarcadero). Traffic on 101 can make taxis and ride-hails much slower during peak hours; BART skips all of that. BART also reaches Oakland, Berkeley, and Millbrae for Caltrain connections.Ride-hails from SFO use a dedicated garage pickup area; follow signs. Taxis are metered; downtown SF costs $40–60. Caltrain to the Peninsula (Mountain View, Palo Alto, San Jose) requires taking BART to Millbrae station for the transfer. Rental cars are at a consolidated facility accessible by AirTrain.
Coastal fog dominates the climate pattern. The thick marine layer ("Karl the Fog") rolls into SFO from the Pacific regularly in summer (June–September), causing significant low-visibility delays even on days that appear sunny inland. Morning fog burns off by afternoon most days, but persistent IFR conditions can last all day. This is the primary flight disruption risk at SFO.
Temperatures are mild year-round (10–20°C) with little seasonal variation. Winters bring rain (December–March) and occasional atmospheric river events that cause brief but intense flooding on the 101. Summers are cool. Pack a light jacket year-round. Wind off the bay affects small aircraft approach paths.
ORD–SFO Quick Facts
Frequently Asked Questions
Chicago O'Hare to San Francisco: West Coast Trunk Corridor
ORD–SFO is one of the highest-revenue transcontinental routes in North America, driven by dense business travel between Chicago's financial sector and Silicon Valley's tech industry. United, American, Alaska, and Southwest collectively run over 100 weekly departures. Block time is 4 hours 30 minutes westbound and 4 hours 10 minutes eastbound. United anchors the route from its O'Hare hub with multiple daily departures including widebody equipment on peak morning banks, while Alaska provides competitive capacity from its strong West Coast position.
Premium Traffic and Operational Context
The high proportion of corporate travelers on ORD–SFO sustains premium cabin load factors well above the US domestic average. First class fills regularly on United's morning departures, and upgrade availability is tight for elite members without complimentary upgrades. SFO's BART connection to downtown San Francisco takes 30 minutes and costs $10 from the airport train station, which sits inside the International Terminal. O'Hare winter weather and SFO summer fog are the two primary delay drivers; the worst combinations occur when a Chicago winter storm overlaps with a scheduled morning SFO arrival window.