Chicago to San José (Alajuela) (ORD–SJO) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

ORD Airport Page →
2,221 mi airlines charter/private
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Connecting Flight Schedule 26 1-stop flights Verified 1mo ago
Also flown by charter / private operators.
Nonstop Charter / private 1-Stop 2-Stop Hide separate tickets Hide overnight Hide codeshares
  Flight Airline AC Dep Arr Dur OTP Sched  
✈ Nonstop

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.

Last scheduled nonstop: Aug 2026.

✦ 1-Stop connections via 10 hubs
ATL Atlanta 6h 51m AAACAF DL Atlanta (ATL) to San José (Alajuela) flights
FLL Fort Lauderdale 6h 53m AAACAD B6 Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to San José (Alajuela) flights
MCO Orlando 6h 56m AAACAD F9Q6WN Orlando (MCO) to San José (Alajuela) flights
MIA Miami 7h 3m AAACAS AAAVGB Miami (MIA) to San José (Alajuela) flights
IAH Houston 7h 18m 7LAAAS UA Houston (IAH) to San José (Alajuela) flights
CUN Cancún 7h 39m AAEKF9 Q6Y4 Cancún (CUN) to San José (Alajuela) flights
DFW Dallas-Fort Worth 7h 46m AAACAV AA Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to San José (Alajuela) flights
MEX Mexico City 7h 59m AAAMEK AMAVLA Mexico City (MEX) to San José (Alajuela) flights
YYZ Toronto 8h 2m 5YAAAC AC Toronto (YYZ) to San José (Alajuela) flights
YUL Montréal 9h 31m AAACAS ACTS Montréal (YUL) to San José (Alajuela) flights
1-STOP More options, longer trips
2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
Chicago to San José (Alajuela)
Connecting service available through multiple hubs.
2 Airlines 2,221 mi 5h 19m nonstop -1h behind

ORD–SJO had nonstop service from American Airlines and United Airlines, last on the schedule in August 2026. There's no nonstop on it right now, so today you'd fly it with one stop. The connecting options below are sorted by layover. Nonstop, it's about 2,221 miles in 5h 19m.

Airline Landscape

Carriers that operated nonstop ORD–SJO service, compared side by side.
Airline Freq/wk Aircraft Duration Dep OTP Alliance Codeshares
AA American Airlines 0 62% Oneworld
UA United Airlines 0 62% Star Alliance
Alliance coverage
Oneworld: AA (0 flights/wk, 0%)
Star Alliance: UA (0 flights/wk, 0%)
OTP based on airport-level delay snapshots. Duration ranges reflect seasonal/directional variation.

Connection Landscape

1-stop and 2-stop options for ORD to SJO.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
26
Hubs
~6h
Fastest
~30h
Longest
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
2,093
Candidates
Two-stop connections loaded in the connections tab above.
Connections computed from published schedules with minimum connection time verification. Use the interactive explorer above the fold to filter by airline, tier, and layover time.

On-Time Performance

What to expect at each end of your journey.
Outbound
ORD → SJO
62%
Moderate delays possible. Allow buffer time.
Departing
62%
Return
SJO → ORD
96%
Generally reliable. Most flights run on time.
Arriving
96%
OTP = percentage of flights arriving within 15 min of schedule. Based on airport-level delay snapshots. ORD delays →

Other ways to reach San José (Alajuela) from Chicago

Nearby airports with service to Juan Santamaría International Airport.
Metric ORD→SJO MDW→SJO
Distance from ORD 15 mi
Nonstop airlines 1
Weekly flights
Flight time 5h 19m 4h 16m
Departure OTP 62%
Airports within 200 miles of ORD with service to Juan Santamaría International Airport.

Travel Essentials

Practical planning for this route.
Time Difference
-1h
San José (Alajuela) is 1 hour behind Chicago.
ORD: CDT · SJO: CST

When it's 6:00 PM in Chicago, it's 5:00 PM in San José (Alajuela).
Distance & Flight Time
2,221 mi / 3,575 km
Nonstop flight time is approximately 5h 19m gate to gate.
Visa & Entry

US passport holders enter Costa Rica visa-free for stays up to 180 days. No advance application is needed. Passport must be valid for at least one day beyond the date of entry. A return or onward ticket is required and airlines will check before boarding. Proof of funds (USD 100 per month of stay) may be requested at immigration.

Getting to ORD

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.

ORD–SJO Quick Facts

Key statistics for the Chicago to San José (Alajuela) route.
Route details
Distance2,221 mi / 3,575 km
Flight time5h 19m
Time difference-1 hour
Airlines (nonstop)2
1-stop connectionsAvailable
Origin: ORD
IATA / ICAOORD / KORD
TimezoneAmerica/Chicago
Passengers/yr80.0M
Elevation680 ft / 207 m
Destination: SJO
IATA / ICAOSJO / MROC
TimezoneAmerica/Costa_Rica
Passengers/yr7.5M
Elevation3,021 ft / 921 m

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about ORD to SJO flights.
Nonstop flights from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Juan Santamaría International Airport take about 5h 19m gate to gate. The route covers 2,221 miles.
2 airlines operated the nonstop from ORD to SJO: American Airlines and United Airlines. The last scheduled nonstop was in August 2026. There's no nonstop right now, so today you'd fly it with one stop. See the connection options above, ranked by layover.
Not right now. The last scheduled nonstop was in August 2026. You can still fly it with one stop, and the connecting options above are sorted by layover. Nonstop, the hop took about 5h 19m.
Yes, 1-stop connections are available, ranked by layover time. Common connecting points include Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale Hollywood and Orlando.
On a single ticket, yes. Your bags are checked through to SJO and move between planes without you. On two separate tickets you collect your bags at the connecting airport and recheck them, so build in extra layover time.
San José (Alajuela) is 1 hour behind Chicago.
Yes, return flights from SJO to ORD are available. Use the direction toggle at the top to view the return schedule.
Nearby alternatives include MDW. See the Alternatives section for a full comparison.
Click the 'Search Flights' button to check availability and prices on Google Flights. You can also compare airlines and schedules on this page to find the best option.
See the On-Time Performance section for the latest delay data at both airports. This shows departure and arrival reliability to help you plan.
Route data is updated regularly from official airline schedules. On-time performance data comes from recent airport delay snapshots.

Flights from ORD to SJO

Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) and Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) had nonstop service from American Airlines and United Airlines, last on the schedule in August 2026. The nonstop is dormant right now, so the way to fly it today is one connection, and the options above are sorted by layover.

ORD to SJO Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from ORD to SJO is about 5 hours 19 minutes gate to gate. The route covers a distance of 2,221 miles (3,575 km).

Connecting Options and Alternatives

1-stop connecting options are also available, commonly via Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale Hollywood and Orlando. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs. Nearby alternative airports include Chicago (MDW).