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Find cheap flights from Chicago to San Francisco Bay Area from $49

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 Bay Area departing on 8/24. 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
0 bags
Sun 6/16
Sun 6/23

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Best San Francisco Bay Area Flight Deals

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours

San Francisco
San Franciscononstop$98
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$137

Good to know

Low season

January

High season

July

Cheapest flight

$49
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 9% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 5% increase in price.
Flight from Chicago Midway Airport to San Francisco

FAQs - booking San Francisco Bay Area flights

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

    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 Bay Area.

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

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

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

    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 Bay Area 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 Bay Area?

    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 Bay Area from Chicago up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

See more FAQs

Top 5 airlines serving from Chicago to San Francisco Bay Area

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Chicago to San Francisco Bay Area? 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.
8.0
Alaska AirlinesOverall score based on 9162 reviews
8.2Boarding
7.3Entertainment
8.6Crew
7.3Food
7.9Comfort
Airline reviews

Pilot warned us it was going to be bumpy, which I usually like when it is, but it wasn't, so I spent most of the flight unnecessarily wondering when it was going to get rough. Just can't win sometimes. Ha!

8.0 ExcellentBill, May 2024SAN - SMF
Read more about Alaska Airlines reviews

Pilot warned us it was going to be bumpy, which I usually like when it is, but it wasn't, so I spent most of the flight unnecessarily wondering when it was going to get rough. Just can't win sometimes. Ha!

Flight was changed twice. Original flight was scheduled at 5:30pm. Weeks before flight, flight was changed to 7:00pm. On the date of flight, flight was delayed and departed at 9:00pm. This caused many problems and significantly affected our schedule at our destination.

They canceled my flight going back to SF after I was at the airport. Wanted me to take a flight 14 hours later. Not a happy camper.

I didn’t like not knowing my seat till I got to the airport - and my boarding group was F (last).

Wasn’t an Alaska plane so the seats were very thinly padded- glad I wasn’t going further.

Clean plane, relatively spacious in Main Cabin. One experience: I'm 79, with torn rotator cuff (R shoulder). I asked for help getting my carryon into the overhead bin and was told that the staff "does not help with this" (or some such phrase. On previous flights, help has been offered (and accepted). I prevailed on a fellow passenger for this. Also, why not board back to front?? Would this not help in the speed of boarding?

Flight was late but crew was very efficient and friendly.

Flight cancelled an hour before takeoff due to "unscheduled maintenance". New flight makes me have to wait for 5 hours in the airport, at a gate totally on the other side of where I'm at, requiring me to take a tram to get from the N terminal, to the C terminal. After waiting for 5 hours I'm informed my new flight is no longer at the gate I'm at, but instead is back in the N terminal where I was previously.

No tv, movies for a 6 hour flight! Worst airline I have ever travelled!

It was great; it was on time, everything went smoothly, the crew was excellent. It was just uncomfortable for the usual reasons; completely full fight, could barely move because the space was so small. The expected stuff with every airline.

The Flight crew didn’t serve us until about 1.5 hours into the flight because of turbulence but after it ended it was fine to move around. They served us water only and snacks and then NEVER, NOT ONE TIME came through to collect trash until right before landing about 1.5 hours later. There was absolutely no need for that. They crew was just standing around talking and visiting with each other and really never tried to see if we might want something besides water or even try to come pick up trash. This is VERY unusual for a Delta flight but it was not what I would have expected for a 4 hour flight.

There was a loud squeaky sound the whole time we were flying.

Had a broken tray in business class. Crew just shrugged it off.

I didn’t like that I could not select my seat and was assigned a seat when I checked in at LAX

Great experience overall. Check in at Austin was congested as they only have about 6 check in kiosks, one was broken, and there was a lot of Spring Break travelers.

Bag drop off was slow and annoying. Only 2 agents at the entire delta desk, and no one directing traffic for what line to be in, many confused people slowed down the process. Boarding was fine. Seats in Delta comfort plus were fine. Snacks were great! Definitely a bonus. The entertainment system was awful — old, slow, not responsive, and completely unable to play games due to some kind of error. But on the other hand, thank you to Delta for the free WiFi. That made it better.

Everything was very good other than I had selected a specific seat when I booked the flight and they changed it once I checked-in the day before my flight. I was still in first class but lost my aisle seat for a window seat. Being tall, the aisle offers more comfort so I always select an aisle seat.

Flight diverted in SD. Later take off in Seattle by 1.3hrs

Horrible. Flight ORD to CGH was okay, but Paris was a nightmare. Old planes, delays, involuntary downgrades, broken planes, terrible communication. CGH to CPT was my worst flight ever.

Crew was not friendly when I went to request a seat change.

I’ve had a couple flights this week on United that were delayed by an hour or more

Great! The plane was decently sized and comfortable. The staff was nice and there was great in flight entertainment

Last minute gate change nearly caused us to miss our flight. Change was not announced or displayed in the main board at the old gate. Terrible communication. When we landed we had to wait 20 minutes because there was another plane at the assigned gate. Not the crew’s fault, but adding 20 minutes to a 45 minute flight sucked.

delay several times and wait extra long to board. no entertainment service because there are problem for some rows. always encounter some delays for the last flight of the day.

The flight experience was very good! Especially the United Club!

I was not able to buy food in the flight. They refer to include your Credit card in the APP, and if you are not from USA (i have a credit card form Canada) it is not possible

The flight from Ottawa to Chicago took a lot longer due to DC in Ottawa. We got to Chicago and went to our gate to catch our flight. We only had nine minutes I found that very stressful.

Good boarding. Crew started quick with drinks and food. They came around several times for trash which I really liked. Other than turbulence due to storms in the area, flight was great.

The control panel for the seat back screen did not work at all after takeoff.

Plane was so old it had cigarette butt trays in the seat

Good flights. Departure and arrivals were on time. DFW was a little problematic in that the Skytrain without prior notice bypassed the Echo terminal so that delayed my arrival at my connecting flight.

Because I can’t stand very long in one place, I was allowed to reword.

5 hour flight - full flight - not enough room to use my computer - slightly delayed - Admirals club was excellent quality food, drink made up for flight seating. No food offerred on flight, you ahd to prebook.

Excellent- plan was barely populated. I cannot remember a flight where I was able/encouraged to stretch out!

Great flight. Boarding was efficient and quick. On time departure and smooth flight. Flight arrived early at destination. Good experience.

Had technical issue which delayed the flight period. Flight crew knew there was 5 passengers that the connecting flight was within 15 minutes once at the gate. Rather than identify the 5 passengers to assure they got first. The flight attended mentioned it but didn't assist to assure passengers with connecting flights off first. This caused a hardship and our party of 3 missed the connecting flight.

I don't like that I have to pay if I want extra leg room. The seats are so expensive; I sit in normal seats and my legs and knees cramp the entire flight. I never feel comfortable on AA flights.

Flight was delayed at departure due to weather and the need for de-icing. The flight was smooth but there was a delay at arrival due to weather. We were in a hold for 20 minutes or more. The flight arrived more than 30 minutes late. Airlines have no control over the weather and I'm glad that they follow all safety procedures. Had to wait a long time for my checked luggage. Whole process was slow and the bags arrived wet due to the rain. The onboard wifi and entertainment access was spotty and the signal was dropped several times. Otherwise the crew was great and friendly. They tried to get everyone's bags stowed and seated so we could take off.

Regarding the boarding: it needs more efforts to make it more convenient

Deicing in Denver took forever and I almost missed my connection. De-ice faster! Not Americans fault.

Check in online was easy. Seats aren’t very comfortable

Fecal matter in seat back pocket. Presumably from a kids diaper.

Worst airline to travel with. They treat you like a prisoner in a jailhouse barking out orders and threats. Nickle and dime you to the same price or higher than a respectable airline like one of the big 3 . Might as well fly with standard airlines

Well I mean u get what u pay for so 🤷‍♂️

They cancelled the flight then did nothing to help us rebook. It was awful - I won’t fly with them again

The truck that was refueling the plane drove away with the hose still connected to the plane and ripped part of the plane off with it

The boarding time. I was in Section 1 the lady in charge just let people in section 3 without see us. Make a line , I have to step out and ask her. We were in the line and she just take my ticket and that’s it, so if I don’t ask her she could leave us at the end! We paid more for that privilege and. She doesn’t care….

Was just ok with over selling I guess. A lot of people in a short space and when we finally arrive i20 minutes, waiting to get out from the plain because we were waiting authorization for out boarding? Something like that.

See my previous comment which is mostly about our flight from Phoenix to SFO

They changed my flight and did not want to accommodate me or try to help me in any way. They do not care about their customers.

Book cheap flights from Chicago to San Francisco Bay Area

Recent round-trip flight deals

9/18Wed
nonstopFrontier
4h 38mMDW-SFO
9/25Wed
nonstopFrontier
4h 11mSFO-MDW
$98
9/14Sat
nonstopFrontier
4h 38mMDW-SFO
9/25Wed
nonstopFrontier
4h 11mSFO-MDW
$100
9/18Wed
nonstopAmerican Airlines
4h 36mORD-SFO
9/24Tue
nonstopAmerican Airlines
4h 14mSFO-ORD
$179
9/18Wed
1 stopAlaska Airlines
16h 15mORD-SFO
9/24Tue
nonstopAlaska Airlines
4h 20mSFO-ORD
$188
11/2Sat
nonstopAlaska Airlines
4h 44mORD-SFO
11/19Tue
nonstopAlaska Airlines
4h 21mSFO-ORD
$189
5/30Thu
nonstopUnited Airlines
4h 42mORD-SFO
6/1Sat
nonstopUnited Airlines
4h 20mSFO-ORD
$202
7/31Wed
1 stopUnited Airlines
6h 23mORD-SFO
8/6Tue
nonstopUnited Airlines
4h 18mSFO-ORD
$208
9/1Sun
1 stopDelta
6h 47mMDW-SFO
9/9Mon
1 stopDelta
8h 30mSFO-MDW
$236
8/1Thu
1 stopDelta
7h 31mORD-SFO
8/2Fri
1 stopDelta
5h 43mSFO-ORD
$236
9/11Wed
nonstopAmerican Airlines
4h 39mORD-SFO
9/15Sun
nonstopAmerican Airlines
4h 20mSFO-ORD
$237

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Recent one-way flight deals

8/24Sat
nonstopFrontier
4h 38mMDW-SFO
$49
9/14Sat
nonstopFrontier
4h 38mMDW-SFO
$50
8/10Sat
nonstopAlaska Airlines
4h 37mORD-SFO
$88
5/31Fri
nonstopAlaska Airlines
4h 44mORD-SFO
$90
8/14Wed
nonstopAmerican Airlines
4h 35mORD-SFO
$109
7/20Sat
nonstopUnited Airlines
4h 39mORD-SFO
$112
8/3Sat
1 stopUnited Airlines
6h 08mORD-SFO
$114
8/17Sat
1 stopDelta
8h 52mMDW-SFO
$118
6/8Sat
1 stopDelta
6h 57mORD-SFO
$118
5/28Tue
nonstopAmerican Airlines
4h 44mORD-SFO
$144

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Last minute flights from Chicago to San Francisco Bay Area

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

5/21Tue
multi-stopFrontier
29h 31mMDW-SFO
5/29Wed
nonstopFrontier
4h 12mSFO-MDW
$196
5/21Tue
multi-stopFrontier
29h 31mMDW-SFO
5/27Mon
nonstopFrontier
4h 12mSFO-MDW
$200
5/21Tue
nonstopUnited Airlines
4h 49mORD-SFO
5/29Wed
nonstopUnited Airlines
4h 20mSFO-ORD
$394
5/21Tue
multi-stopAlaska Airlines
9h 44mORD-SFO
5/25Sat
nonstopAlaska Airlines
4h 23mSFO-ORD
$403
5/18Sat
multi-stopDelta
7h 32mMDW-SFO
5/21Tue
multi-stopDelta
6h 07mSFO-MDW
$413
5/21Tue
nonstopAlaska Airlines
4h 37mORD-SFO
6/5Wed
nonstopAlaska Airlines
4h 23mSFO-ORD
$439
5/18Sat
nonstopAmerican Airlines
4h 53mORD-SFO
5/28Tue
nonstopAmerican Airlines
4h 17mSFO-ORD
$454
5/21Tue
multi-stopUnited Airlines
6h 36mORD-SFO
5/27Mon
nonstopUnited Airlines
4h 20mSFO-ORD
$494
5/21Tue
multi-stopDelta
10h 01mORD-SFO
5/24Fri
multi-stopDelta
10h 34mSFO-ORD
$616
5/18Sat
nonstopAmerican Airlines
4h 45mORD-SFO
5/20Mon
nonstopAmerican Airlines
4h 22mSFO-ORD
$621

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Flights to San Francisco Bay Area

Return flight deals:

San Francisco Bay Area - Chicago

Cabin classes:

$172
$329
$277
$27