Chicago to San Francisco flights
about 101 flights a week across 23 operators, most often on the Boeing 737 (all variants). Below: the aircraft mix, and what the safety record and the turbulence model say for this route.
Route FAQ
How long does the flight from Chicago to San Francisco take?
Flight time from Chicago (ORD) to San Francisco (SFO) depends on routing, aircraft type, and whether the flight is direct or connecting. A direct flight typically reflects great-circle distance plus winds, while one-stop options can add several hours depending on the layover airport. The typical block time and frequency we have observed for this route are shown above.
Which airlines fly from Chicago to San Francisco?
Airline availability for ORD to SFO changes by season and sometimes week to week as carriers adjust capacity. The airlines and aircraft types observed operating this route, both direct and connecting, are listed below based on real flight-tracking data.
Are there direct flights from Chicago to San Francisco?
Direct (nonstop) availability on ORD to SFO varies by date, day of week, and season. Busy city pairs usually have multiple daily nonstops, while thinner routes may only have direct service a few days per week or only during peak seasons.
No fatal or serious occurrence recorded and attributed to operators on this pair in the last 90 days.
- United Airlines5-yr attributed events: 58Last 90 days: none recorded
- Alaska Airlines5-yr attributed events: 7Last 90 days: none recorded
- American Airlines5-yr attributed events: 26Last 90 days: none recorded
| Carrier | Sightings / 90d | Safety events |
|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 12 sightings | No recorded events |
| Alaska Airlines | 2 sightings | No recorded events |
| American Airlines | 2 sightings | No recorded events |
Flight patterns on ORD → SFO
We observed 1294 flights on this route over the last 90 days (about 100.6 per week) across 23 airlines.
Departures cluster around 20:00–21:00 UTC, 02:00–03:00 UTC, 23:00–00:00 UTC, busiest on Wednesday and Thursday.
On-time performance: 24.1% of departures left within 15 minutes of schedule (average delay 61.4 min, based on 474 timed flights).
Historically, 70.9% of flights on ORD → SFO arrived within 15 minutes of schedule (average arrival delay 11 min; 1.8% cancelled), across 171,200 flights from 1987–2025. Source: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS).
In 2025, 1,940,444 passengers flew between ORD and SFO (both directions) on 10,629 flights, led by UA. Source: U.S. DOT BTS T-100. US air traffic.
Carrier on-time performance (last 12 months)
| Carrier | On-time % | Avg delay | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 75.4% | 18.3 min | 7,450 |
| American Airlines | 69.9% | 26.8 min | 3,431 |
| Alaska Airlines | 60.5% | 23.6 min | 152 |
On-time = arrival within 15 minutes of schedule, per U.S. DOT definitions. Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (public domain). Delay-cause attribution is reported by carriers since June 2003.
Planning ORD → SFO
ORD to SFO is a medium-haul route of 2,964 km (1,842 mi). See the return SFO → ORD route.
Alternative airports near Chicago: Chicago-Wheeling (PWK) — 15 km, Chicago (MDW) — 25 km, Chicago (CGX) — 28 km.
Alternative airports near San Francisco: San Carlos (SQL) — 16 km, Half Moon Bay (HAF) — 16 km, Oakland (OAK) — 18 km.