CHI - CAE

$89 Find Cheap Flights from Chicago to Columbia

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 Columbia departing on 5/24. 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
1 adult, Economy, 0 bags

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

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Chicago to Columbia, 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 Columbia, as well as popular online travel agencies
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41,299,237 searches in the past 7 days on KAYAK

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Everything you should know

Cheapest round-trip
$172
Overall average: $327
Multiple Airlines
Thu 5/14Mon 5/18
ORD - CAE • 1 stop
Cheapest non-stop
$209
Typical prices: $344-$515
United Airlines
Wed 3/25Wed 4/1
ORD - CAE • Non-stop
Advice from real travelers
AI-powered summary based on content written by travel experts. AI can make mistakes.
United's Economy Plus offers extra legroom benefits.
American Airlines' Main Cabin Extra includes early boarding.
Expert advice
Expert advice
Expert advice
Expert advice
Top airlines
United Airlines
Cheapest • from $209 (round-trip)
Delta
Best reviews • 7.9 score
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
+1
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
Nonstop flights
Every day
You can fly direct with United Airlines. Average duration is 2h 07m
Direct flights
Direct flights
+1
+1
Direct flights
Direct flights
+1
Top routes
ORD
-
CAE
Cheapest
ORD
-
CAE
Most popular
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
Top layover airports
Philadelphia (PHL)
Cheapest • Avg $228 (round-trip)
Washington, D.C. (IAD)
Shortest trip • 4h 22m (one-way)
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
When to book
5 weeks
in advance
Our data shows that travelers who book at least 5 weeks in advance save around 36% compared to booking last minute.
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
When to travel
January
Cheapest • 35% price drop
October
Most popular
Good to know
Good to know
+1
+1
Good to know
Good to know
+1
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We hope you love your trip to Columbia!
Flight Deals
Booking Insights
Expert advice
Flight Deals

Cheap Flights from Chicago to Columbia (CHI-CAE)

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from Chicago to Columbia 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 Columbia

Thu, May 14 - Mon, May 18
Multiple Airlines Logo
1:27 pm - 12:51 pm
ORD
-
CAE
22h 24m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
1:41 pm - 10:57 pm
CAE
-
ORD
10h 16m
1 stop
$172Multiple Airlines
Thu, May 7 - Mon, May 11
Multiple Airlines Logo
1:27 pm - 12:51 pm
ORD
-
CAE
22h 24m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
1:41 pm - 10:57 pm
CAE
-
ORD
10h 16m
1 stop
$182Multiple Airlines
Sun, Apr 26 - Mon, May 4
Multiple Airlines Logo
1:22 pm - 5:52 pm
ORD
-
CAE
27h 30m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
6:42 pm - 9:17 pm
CAE
-
ORD
27h 35m
1 stop
$184Multiple Airlines
Wed, Mar 11 - Mon, Mar 16
Multiple Airlines Logo
4:18 pm - 2:40 pm
ORD
-
CAE
21h 22m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
5:50 pm - 11:17 am
CAE
-
ORD
18h 27m
1 stop
$188Multiple Airlines
Sun, May 24 - Mon, Jun 1
Multiple Airlines Logo
7:20 am - 2:23 pm
ORD
-
CAE
30h 03m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
3:13 pm - 12:14 am
CAE
-
ORD
10h 01m
1 stop
$193Multiple Airlines
Thu, Apr 30 - Mon, May 4
Multiple Airlines Logo
1:27 pm - 5:52 pm
ORD
-
CAE
27h 25m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
6:42 pm - 9:36 am
CAE
-
ORD
15h 54m
1 stop
$196Multiple Airlines
Fri, May 8 - Mon, May 11
Multiple Airlines Logo
5:05 am - 12:51 pm
ORD
-
CAE
6h 46m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
1:41 pm - 10:57 pm
CAE
-
ORD
10h 16m
1 stop
$201Multiple Airlines
Sun, May 24 - Fri, May 29
Multiple Airlines Logo
7:20 am - 2:23 pm
ORD
-
CAE
30h 03m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
3:13 pm - 12:24 am
CAE
-
ORD
10h 11m
1 stop
$202Multiple Airlines
Thu, Apr 16 - Sat, Apr 18
Delta Logo
6:00 am - 11:29 am
MDW
-
CAE
4h 29m
1 stop
Delta Logo
12:16 pm - 4:26 pm
CAE
-
MDW
5h 10m
1 stop
$229Delta
Mon, May 4 - Tue, May 12
Delta Logo
5:21 pm - 11:56 pm
MDW
-
CAE
5h 35m
1 stop
Delta Logo
3:54 pm - 9:09 pm
CAE
-
MDW
6h 15m
1 stop
$254Delta
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for Chicago to Columbia flights

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

How much is a round-trip flight from Chicago to Columbia?

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 to Columbia departing in May.

What is the cheapest Chicago to Columbia flight route?

Data is based on round-trip flight searches on KAYAK over the past month.

The cheapest return flight from Chicago to Columbia costs $209 on the route between Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport (ORD) and Columbia (CAE). It is also the most popular route.

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

The average price of all round-trip flights from Chicago to Columbia clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.

If you are looking for a flight deal from Chicago to Columbia, look for departures on Saturdays and avoid leaving on a Monday, as it's usually the priciest day. When flying back from Columbia, Wednesday is the cheapest day to fly and Sunday is the most expensive.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Chicago to Columbia?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Chicago to Columbia, 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 to Columbia is January, where tickets cost $249 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are February and March, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $544 and $487 respectively.

Can I save money by flying with a layover from Chicago to Columbia?

The average round-trip price for all non-stop flights, flights with one layover, and flights with two layovers for the route found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks.

No, with an average price for the route of $346, prices are generally cheapest when you fly direct.

How far in advance should I book a flight from Chicago to Columbia?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights from Chicago to Columbia, 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 to Columbia, you should book around 5 weeks before departure, which saves you about 36% 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 Columbia

 
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.
Our travel experts
Stefanie Waldek

Stefanie Waldek

Expert on United Airlines

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.

Harriet Baskas

Harriet Baskas

Expert on American Airlines

Harriet is an award-winning journalist who is happiest in an airport or an unusual museum. Her stories about airports, air travel, and the business of travel have appeared on NBC News, CNBC, USA TODAY, The Points Guy and other outlets. She is the creator of the StuckatTheAirport.com blog and the author of nine books. When not out on the road or exploring the latest airport amenities, she’s home in Seattle getting ready for the next adventure.

Good to know

Low seasonAugust
Cheapest flight$89
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 20% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 2% lower on average.
Flight from Chicago O'Hare Airport to Columbia

When to book flights from Chicago to Columbia

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel from Chicago to Columbia 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 flights from Chicago to Columbia

  • What is the cheapest flight from Chicago to Columbia?

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from Chicago to Columbia was $89 for a one-way ticket and $172 for a round-trip.

  • Do I need a passport to fly between Chicago and Columbia?

    No

  • Which airports will I be using when flying from Chicago to Columbia?

    On your way to Columbia, you’ll fly out from one of these Chicago airports: Chicago Midway or Chicago O'Hare Intl. You’ll be landing at Columbia Metropolitan.

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

    Only American Airlines offers inflight Wi-Fi service on the Chicago to Columbia flight route.

  • Which aircraft models fly most regularly from Chicago to Columbia?

    The Canadair (Bombardier) Regional Jet CRJ-550 is the aircraft model that flies most regularly on the Chicago to Columbia flight route.

  • Which airline alliances offer flights from Chicago to Columbia?

    SkyTeam, oneworld, and Star Alliance are the airline alliances operating flights between Chicago and Columbia, with SkyTeam being the most commonly used for this route.

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

    There are nonstop flights from Chicago to Columbia on a daily basis.

  • Which is the best airline for flights from Chicago to Columbia, Delta or United Airlines?

    The two airlines most popular with KAYAK users for flights from Chicago to Columbia are Delta and United Airlines. With an average price for the route of $298 and an overall rating of 7.9, Delta is the most popular choice. United Airlines is also a great choice for the route, with an average price of $393 and an overall rating of 7.4.

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

    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 Columbia.

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Columbia 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 Columbia?

    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 Columbia 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 Columbia?

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

KAYAK’s top tips for finding a cheap flight from Chicago to Columbia

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found flights on this route for $293 or less one-way and $319 or less round-trip.

Prefer to fly direct from Chicago to Columbia?

 
Direct data is based off flight results for the next 60 days. Find direct flights from all airlines flying direct from Chicago to Columbia Metropolitan.
Find which airlines fly direct from Chicago to Columbia Metropolitan Airport, which days they fly and book direct flights.

Direct departures

Chicago to Columbia Metropolitan

Monday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Tuesday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Wednesday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Thursday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Friday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Saturday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Sunday

United Airlines

United Airlines

See more direct flights

Direct returns

Columbia Metropolitan to Chicago

Monday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Tuesday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Wednesday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Thursday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Friday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Saturday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Sunday

United Airlines

United Airlines

See more direct flights

Reviews of the top 3 airlines serving from Chicago to Columbia

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Chicago to Columbia. 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 Columbia? 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.
7.9
DeltaOverall score based on 8242 reviews
7.2Food
8.1Boarding
7.8Entertainment
8.5Crew
7.9Comfort
Airline reviews

Seat was extremely hard which made even a short 1 hour 20 minute flight fairly uncomfortable.

8.0 ExcellentSharon, Feb 2026
CVG - ATL
Read more Delta reviews

Seat was extremely hard which made even a short 1 hour 20 minute flight fairly uncomfortable.

Everything was good except wifi and a leaking drink chiller. The floor was all wet and my bag was soaked. Did not notice until debarking. Have not heard back from Delta. Even though this was leg one of an international flight in first class, they denied access to their Sky Club - very disappointing!

The staff was fine. The plane was extremely tight, and I paid for the wifi and it did not work at all. I was actually going to ask for a refund.

two hour delay and the Delta representative on the PA system was unable to understand

An awesome flight crew. FC seat cushion just doesn’t cut it for a 3+ hour flight.

2+hrs delay without any reason provided and a cramped flight

We waited an hour on the runway to get a gate in Orlando

Flight was delayed by 3-hours and their fix was… complimentary pretzels.

Flight was delayed due to crew being not on time

Flight crew issues delayed my flight by 2 1/2 hours. Causing me to miss my connection.

We were delayed for about an hour from taking off due to traffic control procedures at the destination airport. But once in the air, the flight went well. The crew members were great and provided cabin service despite moderate turbulence during much of the flight.

Short flight, but no drink/snack service. The flights both going and coming were delayed.

Not being stranded in Chicago for her airport to 11:30 tomorrow morning the 3rd

I was fully checked in the prior night and i was unchecked and then didn’t have a seat when I boarded. Instead of an aisle seat, I was out in the middle seat of the very last row of the plane.

In overall it was a good experience, the only down point was that the entertainment screen was working properly.

They lost my luggage, so, not happy. The crew was nice but my suitcases never made it, still trying to find out what happened!

I understand weather is an issue, but making us chase our plane down at five scheduled gates across three terminals in an airport the size of O'Hare was unfair. They'd have probably been better off to leave gates as TBD until the inbound plane is in final approach instead of running us all over the place. Also, props to the consistently-unprepared ground crew in Richmond for once again leaving my lane parked short of the gate because they couldn't have a crew in place on time with 2 hours notice...

cabin crew was OK, food was OK, the trip from the US to Munich was actually pretty bad comfort wise. Noisy aircraft, lights never dimmed even in Business class (night flight) barely sufficient amenities for the price. I have millions of miles with United but TBH American is gaining ground and Delta has always been marginally better then United although on paper United has more longes and cheaper upgrades.

Essy to get on. The hostess gave very little pop, the plane was late getting in, and we are still waiting for our bags. This sucks. :/

Great flight. On time boarding. Smooth flight and on time arrival at EWR. The flight crew was marvelous and there was a great selection of movies on the entertainment system. Our bags were at the carousel before we got there. Another excellent flight from United.

Flight to Tampa was delayed taking off due to plane arriving late but no other issues

As previously stated the delay I experienced flying from Wichita to Chicago caused a host of issues. When I finally was able to be booked on the last remaining American flight from Chicago to Cincinnati, the gate changed four times with the last change occurring very near the scheduled boarding time. While I didn't have a problem moving from gate to gate, I did notice and make note of others that had mobility issues and had to move each time for the gate change.

Maintenance took a very long time and then we were in a holding pattern. While a one-off maintenance issue is standard, there were delays on both of my flights for this trip based on maintenance issues with the planes, which delayed both flights over 45 minutes. Thankfully, I didn't have any connections but it wasn't an experience that would make me pick AA if I have other options.

No Snacks or Entertainment. The flight was short, snacks should still be given.

See prior comment about how Kayak mishandled my reservation and delayed my arrival by 6 hours.

Boarding delayed 20 minutes for no reason, no wifi, in flight entertainment, or snacks / waters?

Delayed an hour due to operational issues. Minimal apologies or care for the significant inconvenience caused. Landed at nearly 1am and they still couldn’t find ground staff to get us off the plane promptly.

The aircraft had several problems - from excess fuel to non operational ac. Two hours of delay in Chicago could have been avoided with proper planning and aircraft maintenance.

Crew in Columbia was not prepared for landing. It was a bit of a disaster and getting bags took forever.

We were upgraded to First Class and it was a great flight

Everything you need to know for your flight from Chicago to Columbia

Information on your arrival and departure airports