ORD - SFO

C$ 177 Find Cheap Flights from Chicago to San Francisco

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from Chicago to San Francisco departing on 10/1. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel. Click the price to replicate the search for this deal.
1 adult
1 adult, Economy, 0 bags

KAYAK searches hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to San Francisco

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Chicago to San Francisco, as well as popular online travel agencies
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Chicago to San Francisco, as well as popular online travel agencies
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Everything you should know

Cheapest round-trip
C$ 335
Typical prices: C$ 335-C$ 607
Alaska Airlines
Wed 7/1Mon 12/1
ORD - SFO • 1 stop
Cheapest direct flights
C$ 342
Typical prices: C$ 349-C$ 672
United Airlines
Thu 15/1Sat 17/1
ORD - SFO • Direct
Our travellers' advice
AI-powered summary based on content written by travel experts. AI can make mistakes.
At ORD, security lines can be 30 minutes or longer.
For a smooth arrival at SFO, consider taking BART.
Expert advice
Expert advice
Expert advice
Expert advice
Top airlines
United Airlines
Cheapest • from C$ 342 (round-trip)
Frontier
Best reviews • 5.8 score
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
+1
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
When to book
4 weeks
in advance
Our data shows that travellers who book at least 4 weeks in advance save around 48% compared to booking last minute.
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
When to travel
May
Cheapest • 12% price drop
March
Most popular
Good to know
Good to know
+1
+1
Good to know
Good to know
+1
Start a new search
KAYAK searches hundreds of sites at once to find you the best travel deals.
We hope you love your trip to San Francisco!
Flight Deals
Booking Insights
Expert advice
Flight Deals

Cheap Flights from Chicago to San Francisco (ORD-SFO)

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from Chicago to San Francisco that are departing in the next months. While these flights were available on KAYAK in the last 72 hours, prices and availability are subject to change and deals may expire.
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Recent round-trip flight deals from Chicago to San Francisco

Wed, 7 Jan - Mon, 12 Jan
Alaska Airlines Logo
3:44 p.m. - 10:47 p.m.
ORD
-
SFO
9h 03m1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
11:41 a.m. - 11:37 p.m.
SFO
-
ORD
9h 56m1 stop
C$ 335Alaska Airlines
Tue, 6 Jan - Tue, 13 Jan
Alaska Airlines Logo
1:09 p.m. - 11:54 p.m.
ORD
-
SFO
12h 45m1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
11:41 a.m. - 11:37 p.m.
SFO
-
ORD
9h 56m1 stop
C$ 339Alaska Airlines
Fri, 16 Jan - Wed, 21 Jan
Delta Logo
6:45 p.m. - 11:47 p.m.
ORD
-
SFO
7h 02m1 stop
Delta Logo
2:05 p.m. - 11:56 p.m.
SFO
-
ORD
7h 51m1 stop
C$ 342Delta
Sun, 15 Feb - Wed, 18 Feb
Alaska Airlines Logo
3:54 p.m. - 9:55 p.m.
ORD
-
SFO
8h 01m1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
4:21 p.m. - 12:01 p.m.
SFO
-
ORD
17h 40m1 stop
C$ 343Alaska Airlines
Tue, 24 Feb - Sat, 7 Mar
Alaska Airlines Logo
2:07 p.m. - 7:47 p.m.
ORD
-
SFO
7h 40m1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
8:47 p.m. - 1:05 p.m.
SFO
-
ORD
14h 18m1 stop
C$ 345Alaska Airlines
Fri, 23 Jan - Wed, 28 Jan
Alaska Airlines Logo
2:06 p.m. - 11:03 p.m.
ORD
-
SFO
10h 57m2 stops
Alaska Airlines Logo
7:00 a.m. - 11:37 p.m.
SFO
-
ORD
14h 37m1 stop
C$ 346Alaska Airlines
Wed, 25 Feb - Sat, 28 Feb
United Airlines Logo
4:20 p.m. - 7:19 p.m.
ORD
-
SFO
4h 59mdirect
United Airlines Logo
11:59 p.m. - 6:19 a.m.
SFO
-
ORD
4h 20mdirect
C$ 348United Airlines
Thu, 15 Jan - Tue, 20 Jan
United Airlines Logo
2:40 p.m. - 5:36 p.m.
ORD
-
SFO
4h 56mdirect
United Airlines Logo
11:56 p.m. - 6:25 a.m.
SFO
-
ORD
4h 29mdirect
C$ 350United Airlines
Wed, 7 Jan - Wed, 14 Jan
United Airlines Logo
7:58 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.
ORD
-
SFO
5h 02mdirect
United Airlines Logo
11:15 p.m. - 5:44 a.m.
SFO
-
ORD
4h 29mdirect
C$ 352United Airlines
Thu, 5 Feb - Mon, 9 Feb
Alaska Airlines Logo
2:06 p.m. - 7:43 p.m.
ORD
-
SFO
7h 37m1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
9:42 p.m. - 1:10 p.m.
SFO
-
ORD
13h 28m1 stop
C$ 356Alaska Airlines
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for Chicago to San Francisco flights

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from Chicago to San Francisco to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

How much is a round-trip flight from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to San Francisco?

This analysis is based on the cheapest round-trip price found on KAYAK in the last 12 months by searching for a flight from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to San Francisco departing in January.

What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly from Chicago to San Francisco?

The average price of all round-trip flights from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to San Francisco clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.

When flying from Chicago to San Francisco, you should consider leaving on a Friday and avoid Sundays if you are looking for the best rates. For your return to Chicago, you’ll find the best rates on Wednesdays and the most expensive ones on Mondays.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to San Francisco?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to San Francisco, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the median of all values for each month.

The cheapest month for flights from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to San Francisco is May, where tickets cost C$ 396 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are November and March, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is C$ 579 and C$ 534 respectively.

How far in advance should I book a flight from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to San Francisco?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to San Francisco, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the average of all the values for each week.

To get a below average price on the flight from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to San Francisco, you should book around 4 weeks before departure, which saves you about 48% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 21 weeks before departure.

Expert advice

Expert advice for your flight from Chicago to San Francisco

 
AI-powered summary based on content written by travel experts. AI can make mistakes.
KAYAK teamed up with top travel experts to share the best tips for your journey.
Airports
ORD

At ORD, security lines can be 30 minutes or longer during peak times. Arrive early to avoid delays.

SFO

For a smooth arrival at SFO, consider taking BART to the city. It's affordable and avoids traffic.

Our travel experts
Stefanie Waldek

Stefanie Waldek

Expert on ORD

Stefanie Waldek

Stefanie Waldek

Stefanie Waldek is a freelance space, travel, and design writer based in Saratoga Springs, NY. Her words have appeared in Space.com, Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, Architectural Digest, and House Beautiful, among other publications. An expert in aviation and expedition cruising, Stefanie is frequently up in the air or on the sea, likely en route to Antarctica or the Arctic.

Read more
Blane Bachelor

Blane Bachelor

Expert on SFO

Blane Bachelor

Blane Bachelor

Blane Bachelor is a journalist and editor specializing in travel and aviation who writes regularly for top global outlets. Born and raised in Florida, Blane has worked and lived in four countries, including the Netherlands, where she’s currently based with her family. Her favorite way to get to know a new destination is by running or riding a bike around town – or hearing a spooky ghost story about local history. She will always choose the window seat.

Read more

Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flightC$ 177
Best time to beat the crowds (6% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly (19% more expensive on average)
Flight from Chicago to San Francisco

When to book flights from Chicago to San Francisco

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel from Chicago to San Francisco based on our flight data from the last year. Discover the cheapest month and even day to fly.
Estimated round-trip price
KAYAK looks at all historical flight data for each date to provide a predicted price for one-way trips or round-trips with a duration up to 40 days. While we try to provide actual minimum prices for each date, some prices are predictions and actual prices may differ.

FAQs for booking Chicago to San Francisco flights

  • What is the cheapest flight from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to San Francisco?

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to San Francisco was C$ 177 for a one-way ticket and C$ 335 for a round-trip.

  • Which airlines offer Wi-Fi service onboard planes from Chicago to San Francisco?

    All the following airlines offer inflight Wi-Fi service on the Chicago to San Francisco flight route: American Airlines, JetBlue, Delta, United Airlines, Air Canada, Qantas Airways, and Alaska Airlines.

  • Which aircraft models fly most regularly from Chicago to San Francisco?

    The Airbus A321neo is the aircraft model that flies most regularly on the Chicago to San Francisco flight route.

  • On which days can I fly direct from Chicago to San Francisco?

    There are direct flights from Chicago to San Francisco on a daily basis.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from Chicago to San Francisco?

    KAYAK is a travel search engine. That means we look across the web to find the best prices we can find for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights from Chicago to San Francisco.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from Chicago to San Francisco?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to San Francisco from Chicago is likely to change within 7 days, so travellers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights from Chicago to San Francisco?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional round-trip ticket. You could then fly to San Francisco with an airline and back to Chicago with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from Chicago to San Francisco?

    Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying to San Francisco from Chicago up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

Prefer to fly direct from Chicago to San Francisco?

 
Direct data is based off flight results for the next 60 days. Find direct flights from all airlines flying direct from Chicago O'Hare Intl to San Francisco.
Find which airlines fly direct from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to San Francisco Airport, which days they fly and book direct flights.

Direct departures

Chicago O'Hare Intl to San Francisco

Monday

American Airlines,United Airlines

American Airlines,United Airlines

Tuesday

American Airlines,United Airlines

American Airlines,United Airlines

Wednesday

American Airlines,United Airlines

American Airlines,United Airlines

Thursday

American Airlines,United Airlines

American Airlines,United Airlines

Friday

American Airlines,United Airlines

American Airlines,United Airlines

Saturday

American Airlines,United Airlines

American Airlines,United Airlines

Sunday

American Airlines,United Airlines

American Airlines,United Airlines

See more nonstop flights

Direct returns

San Francisco to Chicago O'Hare Intl

Monday

American Airlines,United Airlines

American Airlines,United Airlines

Tuesday

American Airlines,United Airlines

American Airlines,United Airlines

Wednesday

American Airlines,United Airlines

American Airlines,United Airlines

Thursday

American Airlines,United Airlines

American Airlines,United Airlines

Friday

American Airlines,United Airlines

American Airlines,United Airlines

Saturday

American Airlines,United Airlines

American Airlines,United Airlines

Sunday

American Airlines,United Airlines

American Airlines,United Airlines

See more nonstop flights

Reviews of the top airline flying from Chicago to San Francisco

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Chicago to San Francisco. Airline scores are aggregated from all reviews left by passengers on KAYAK after flying with an airline. KAYAK doesn’t show reviews that are older than 5 years. Learn how KAYAK collects reviews.
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Chicago to San Francisco? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to verified KAYAK customer reviews.
5.8
FrontierOverall score based on 3084 reviews
6.0Boarding
6.6Crew
4.4Entertainment
5.5Comfort
4.6Food
Airline reviews

Not clean and was told I would get a great seat and it was not great at all

2.0 MediocreAnonymous, Dec 2025
DEN - PHL
Read more Frontier reviews

Not clean and was told I would get a great seat and it was not great at all

Flight got delayed for 5 hours no good explanation was offered ;(

Horrible. I would never fly Frontier again. The booking process is tricky at best, but fraudulent in my opinion. Frontier customer service did nothing to rectify my purchase -- I ended up paying more than double what I could have gotten from other airlines and nearly triple what I thought I was buying from Frontier. Their booking practices are unfair to the consumer.

Delayed. Text notifications were slow. Not much information o what was happening. Boarding was slow and confusing. Wasn’t even offered water other flight. Had to ask. No entertainment at all. Felt like.a Greyhound bus.

When I wanted to check in 3 hours prior to boarding time, the employees mentioned “a little over an hour delay” so I waited for an hour then I went to go look for food in the terminal and most people from that flight were in the same area looking for food. Finally I decided after food to check to see if it’s anytime closer and now it’s 2 mins until boarding closes?! What are you kidding me? I didn’t receive anything via sms about boarding now nor via email or on the intercom. I luckily made it through, barely, and then there’s no room for my carry on mind you I’m in the very first row so I had to place my purse in one further row back and my carry on sections down. Not sure who pays for better seats to get your stuff placed all over the plane but that was the worst experience I’ve ever had flying with anyone.

Better than expected. Staff were friendly and nice on both flights.

There was no one at the counter to assist with our check in. The app didn’t work, so I arrived at the airport with time to check in and I couldn’t because no employees were there. When I finally got someone on the phone, it was inside the 60min rule and they said I could no longer check in and they could sell me another ticket. We had to scramble and pay an additional $800 for tickets and THEN AFTER (about 60 min from my original convo with customer service and 10min after original departure time) I had boarded my new flight, there was email saying my original flight from Frontier was delayed and leaving 2hr 50min later, but I STILL wouldn’t have been able to check in. Which means customer service should have been able to see it and let me check in because I was well within my check in time. When I call Frontier, they hang up on me. So their app didn’t work and they employees left and they take zero responsibility or assistance with their “customer service”

Terrible. Flight cancelled with no reasoning and no flights to rebook. Employees were useless and did nothing to help. Did not even know where to retrieve luggage from the cancelled flight. Flyers beware.

No fault of Frontier staff: plane was very late, reached Orlando at 1 am, took a while to get luggage. Weather, gov financial shutdown impact on TSA, air controllers seemed to have multiple flights backed up. Frontier staff seemed to cope as gracefully as possible. It did reassure me that I and my new hip could adapt to travel challenges. Food/entertainment were irrelevant to my trip.

Terrible. The canceled my entire flight when I requested a refund for a trip frontier canceled trip one way.

Everything you need to know for your flight from Chicago to San Francisco

Information on your arrival and departure airports