Cheap Flights from ORD to SFO: When to Fly from Chicago to San Francisco

 

The cheapest times to fly from ORD to SFO are

• January 8th to March 18th
• August 6th to November 18th

based on data collected exclusively by Champion Traveler across tens of millions of flights. Among all the dates above, the very cheapest time to fly from ORD to SFO is late October. Prices can be as high as $744 for Sunday flights during early August, or as low as $249 for Tuesday flights around late October.

 

When to Fly to San Francisco

Flying from Chicago, IL (ORD) to San Francisco, CA (SFO) will usually cost between $261 to $415 per person if booking more than four weeks in advance. On average the very cheapest time to fly is late October with an average ticket price of $275. Due to high demand the most expensive time to fly is early August, with an average price of $451. Planning your trip to low-cost times can easily save you $176 on economy flights and even more on first-class flights. Generally, any price below $309 can be considered a good price for a round-trip ORD to SFO flight.

See below for a graph of average weekly prices for the ORD to SFO route. All prices are for round-trip tickets in USD.

Compared to other flights, the ORD to SFO flight is much cheaper than the average and costs much less than the average flight leaving from Chicago. The average price per mile (for a direct flight) is $0.1, which is far below average.

 

Flight Prices by Day of the Week

Tuesday is usually the cheapest day to depart and return on this flight. Sundays are the most expensive days to fly out or take a return trip. Selecting flights on the least expensive days could save you up to $53 (15%) on this flight.

Departing prices are for round-trip flights returning on the day of departure. For example, a flight departing on Tuesday and returning a week later will cost an average of $292. Return trip prices are from the SFO to ORD flight, and often highlight the quality of our data in showing the same trend.

 

Nonstop Flights and Layovers

Travelers looking to fly from ORD to SFO can generally find a 0-layover flight. Because there is a direct flight option the real-world direct flight time of 4 hour 18 minutes may be realistic.

 

Flight Questions Answered

Still have questions about flying from ORD to SFO? We’ve got answers.

Which airlines fly this route?

You can find 13 major airlines flying this route most often: Alaska, American, China Eastern, Delta, Emirates, Frontier, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Sun Country Airlines, United, and potentially more during busy seasons.

How far away is it from San Francisco International Airport to Chicago O’Hare International Airport?

The distance between the two airports is roughly 1841 miles or 2963 kilometers.

How long does it take to fly from ORD to SFO?

The real-world flight time for a nonstop ORD to SFO flight is about 4 hour 18 minutes.

How many flights go between Chicago, IL and San Francisco, CA?

It depends on the day of the week and the date, but a typical day might have around 57 available flights from ORD to SFO.

 

Airport Location Info

 

 

Late and Early Flight Data

Flights from ORD to SFO tend to depart later than the average flight. According to our recently updated data, 40% of flights departed 5 or more minutes late, and 9% of flights left 5 or more minutes early. On average you can expect to leave SFO heading for ORD about 24 minutes late. This does significantly impact arrival time, as the average landing time in San Francisco, CA is about 16 minutes late. The numbers below show a recent average of take-off times versus the scheduled departure flight:

• American: 22 minutes late
• United: 26 minutes late
• Alaska: 10 minutes late
• Some airlines not reporting

 

Please note that while we’ve worked hard to analyzed tens of millions of flights to get you this data, we do not calculate current live prices or guarantee pricing. Please see our partners using the links above for current offers.