$90 Find Cheap Flights from Chicago to Salinas

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 Salinas departing on 7/4. 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

KAYAK searches hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights from Chicago to Salinas

Travelers love KAYAK
41,299,237 searches in the past 7 days on KAYAK

Save 20% or moreCompare multiple travel sites with one search.

Track pricesNot ready to book? Create a price alert for when prices drop.

Free to useThere are no hidden charges or fees.

Filter your dealsChoose cabin class, free Wi-Fi and more.

Flights Deals
Useful Info
Flights Deals

Cheap Flights from Chicago to Salinas (CHI-SFO)

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

Sat, Oct 11 - Sat, Oct 11
Frontier Logo
6:51 am - 11:50 amORD-SFO
6h 59m1 stop
Frontier Logo
10:29 pm - 10:26 amSFO-ORD
9h 57m1 stop
$146Frontier
Find Deal
Sat, Oct 11 - Tue, Oct 14
Frontier Logo
6:51 am - 11:50 amORD-SFO
6h 59m1 stop
Frontier Logo
6:00 am - 11:53 pmSFO-ORD
15h 53m1 stop
$152Frontier
Find Deal
Thu, Aug 7 - Sat, Aug 9
Alaska Airlines Logo
7:18 pm - 10:06 pmORD-SFO
4h 48mnonstop
Alaska Airlines Logo
11:55 am - 6:18 pmSFO-ORD
4h 23mnonstop
$179Alaska Airlines
Find Deal
Tue, Aug 19 - Tue, Aug 26
Southwest Logo
3:50 pm - 6:25 pmMDW-SFO
4h 35mnonstop
Southwest Logo
10:50 am - 5:00 pmSFO-MDW
4h 10mnonstop
$179Southwest
Find Deal
Mon, Oct 20 - Wed, Oct 22
American Airlines Logo
5:43 pm - 8:20 pmORD-SFO
4h 37mnonstop
American Airlines Logo
10:16 am - 4:41 pmSFO-ORD
4h 25mnonstop
$180American Airlines
Find Deal
Sat, Sep 6 - Tue, Sep 16
American Airlines Logo
6:45 am - 9:24 amORD-SFO
4h 39mnonstop
American Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 12:18 pmSFO-ORD
4h 18mnonstop
$181American Airlines
Find Deal
Tue, Jul 1 - Sat, Jul 5
United Airlines Logo
7:20 am - 10:02 amORD-SFO
4h 42mnonstop
United Airlines Logo
5:00 am - 11:27 amSFO-ORD
4h 27mnonstop
$188United Airlines
Find Deal
Sat, Aug 16 - Tue, Aug 19
Southwest Logo
8:10 am - 10:45 amMDW-SFO
4h 35mnonstop
Southwest Logo
11:25 am - 10:25 pmSFO-MDW
9h 00m1 stop
$189Southwest
Find Deal
Tue, Jul 29 - Sat, Aug 9
Alaska Airlines Logo
7:18 pm - 10:06 pmORD-SFO
4h 48mnonstop
Alaska Airlines Logo
11:55 am - 6:18 pmSFO-ORD
4h 23mnonstop
$197Alaska Airlines
Find Deal
Thu, Aug 28 - Sat, Sep 6
United Airlines Logo
4:30 pm - 7:03 pmORD-SFO
4h 33mnonstop
United Airlines Logo
11:59 pm - 6:15 amSFO-ORD
4h 16mnonstop
$269United Airlines
Find Deal
Useful Info

Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
High seasonJuly
Cheapest flight$90
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 5% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 5% lower on average.
Flight from Chicago Midway Airport to San Francisco

When to book flights from Chicago to Salinas

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel from Chicago to Salinas based on our flight data from the last year. Discover the cheapest month and even day to fly.
Estimated round-trip price

FAQs for booking flights from Chicago to Salinas

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

    When flying out of Chicago you’ll be using one of these airports: Chicago Midway or Chicago O'Hare Intl. Salinas does not have its own airport so you’ll be flying into nearby San Francisco airport, which is 76.3 mi away.

  • How long does a flight from Chicago to Salinas take?

    Direct flights cover the 1,855 miles separating Chicago and Salinas in about 4h 30m.

  • How many flights are there between Chicago and Salinas?

    95 direct flights run between Chicago and Salinas on a daily basis. On average, there are about 667 departures each week.

  • What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly between Chicago and Salinas?

    Consider leaving on a Saturday and avoid Thursdays if you are looking for the best rates. For your return to Chicago, you’ll find the best rates on Fridays and the most expensive ones on Saturdays.

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

    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 Salinas.

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

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

    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 Salinas 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 Salinas?

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

  • Which airlines provide the cheapest flights from Chicago to Salinas?

    In the last 72 hours, the cheapest one-way ticket between Chicago and Salinas found on KAYAK was with Southwest for $90. Frontier offered a round-trip connection from $146 and Alaska Airlines from $179.

Top tips for finding cheap flights from Chicago to Salinas

  • There is no airport in Salinas. Instead, you’ll be flying into San Francisco Airport when flying between Chicago and Salinas.
  • The cheapest flight from Chicago to Salinas was found 84 days before departure, on average.
  • Book at least 3 weeks before departure in order to get a below-average price.
  • High season is considered to be November, December and January. The cheapest month to fly is September.

Top 5 airlines serving Chicago to Salinas

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Chicago to Salinas? 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 10000 reviews
7.1Entertainment
7.8Comfort
7.1Food
8.1Boarding
8.5Crew
Airline reviews

On time, smooth take off and landing, efficient boarding. Gate staff excellent, stewardess grumpy, but civil enough.

10.0 Excellentmarlene, Jun 2025PDX - SMF
Read more Alaska Airlines reviews

On time, smooth take off and landing, efficient boarding. Gate staff excellent, stewardess grumpy, but civil enough.

No WiFi available. It was too late to order food also. Guy next to me was huge (not fat) so had his shoulder & thigh next to me the whole way. Plane was delayed leaving PDX due to 8 other planes waiting. Not my best Alaska airlines flight.

I do wish the the actual airplane I flew on was bigger. But, I made it work.

It is very bad they do not give you money back

always delayed. toilet is too stinky worse than smells in sf homeless distriction

It was too cold for the first quarter of the flight.

I loved that we boarded orderly and quickly, that I had an opportunity to check my bag free at the gate, that there was plenty of seat/leg room, there was smooth takeoff and landing, the attendants were pleasant and helpful, and that we arrived on time!!

The only problem was the time delay. Kudos to the counter agent in Seattle. Very helpful and gracious.

Check in, they should have told me that upon arrival i needed to exit the secure area and re-check in with Eva Air. I wasn't sure what to do upon arrival at S.F.

Quick and easy check-in. Love how technology has helped speed up the flying process. Smooth flight to a Seattle and back. 10/10

I'm not a fan of Southwest's model. I don't like the herding style of boarding.

It was a perfect flight in all aspects! Both legs!

Boarding process, crew were good. But the seats were so uncomfortable that was all I could focus on. I literally had to sit forward so that all 3 of us could fit in row. I will try to avoid Southwest in the future for any flights over 60 minutes.

Great flight, 47 passengers on a 180 seat plane. Stewardess was pleasant and cheerful.

Great experience flying Southwest. The crew was really kind and helpful, and very friendly with our toddler.

My flight to Chicago left and landed early. My return flight left two minutes late and arrived 2 minutes late. My seat selections were ideal! There were no snacks going to Chicago and no snacks on the return trip. There are no charging outlets on board.

Plane late from DC to Austin 30 minutes. Crew made up much of the time enroute to San Diego.

Fine, but how to board on SW versus othrr airlines, is just lame. Goood staff though and all was solid otherwise.

One of the crew performed a hilarious skit to accompany the standard instructions. Passengers enjoyed it so much they applauded at the end!

Excellent experience. WiFi worked on this leg of My trip

I was charged for my daughters bag when I am supposed to receive two free checked bags with my United Explorer card.

The schedule to Moline changed 5 times. The gate changed 6 times. That is a pathetic way to run an airline. No wonder that no one in our company flies on United Express to or from Moline. Changes happen most of the time. I learned my lesson on this trip…never again!

Flight was great. Efficient boarding. Short flight. Early arrival. Friendly flight crew. The entertainment system did not work well. Could not access it until the aircraft reached 10K feet or more. Lots of glitches.

A bit rush for transit. Food and entertainment are not available

Smooth boarding process. Early departure, smooth flight, early arrival. The entertainment package has very good recent movie options. The flight crew were friendly and professional.

My flight was scheduled for about 6:05 departure. There were 11 gate changes from 4-7pm and the flight was 3 hours delayed due to operational issues. The plane taxied around the airport for about half an hour before stopping to be de-iced. It would have been nice if we were alerted of the plan to de-ice prior to the 30 minute drive around the airport. The flight attendant was friendly, which was the only redeeming thing about this flight. As a former flight attendant for United, I was extremely disappointed.

Delays took 2hours and thirty minutes making me miss my connecting flight and make me sit in the Chicago airport for 9 hours

Had a short delay once we boarded the aircraft in Chicago, but it was fixed in no time flat then we were on our way. The pilot was able to make up the time lost and we landed 5 minute later then schedualed . Great service

Our seats were all the way in back of the plane,

The seats on this flight were almost roomy enough to be the basic amount needed for human existence. I think my favorite part of this flight was it landed at an A gate, which was the most palatial part of Sea-Tac I've ever seen - a massive improvement from the S gates.

I have long legs, my foot was out in the aisle and when a flight attendant came walking by and I didn't notice, instead of saying "excuse me" or anything like that, she kicked my foot. Extremely rude

Excellent! The gate agents were kind enough to rebook me on an earlier flight saving me from a 6 hour layover. Even my luggage made it despite the fact that the connection was technically too narrow. The flight itself was very comfortable, roomy, and clean. Plenty of space for my carryon items with plugs to charge my phone. After a long international flight of 14 hours, this was an excellent way to end my travels!

Great experience. Flight boarded easily. Departed early. Smooth flight. Great arrival in DC--almost no taxing! Almost direct to gate from runway. Crew was terrific. Same cookies and beverages in main cabin. I did not use the entertainment system on this flight.

Most of the delay was due to weather which is not what was at issue here. One delay was due to a missing flashlight and in the end the flashlight was actually found on the plane. The entertainment system is very limited. Live TV options offer only a few channels that are not very appealing. Boarding and deplaning are always difficult. It just takes too much time to get on and off the plane. On the plus side, I missed my connecting flight, but was easily able to book a later flight from the app while enroute.

You were more on time than United. I'm so over united delays.

The meals were mediocre and the alcohol selection was poor. I enjoyed the selection of movies and other entertainment.

I chatted with the captain before the flight, and similarly during the welcome announcement, he warned of a turbulent flight that may impact the in-flight service. However, once at altitude, he announced that the weather changed and he immediately turned off the seatbelt sign. But it appeared the cabin crew had already decided to take off this flight. They remained seated and then just chatted in the galley. The flight was fully catered, but only first class received service.

My flight attendant was attentive! The elderly person next to me was flatulent and the flight attendant could see that I was in distress and brought me some face masks

My boarding pass wouldn't pull up in the app very easily and had to really dig through my email. That caused a delay in TSA..

I had a TERRIBLE experience with the AA crew. I believe it was disability-related. It’s unlikely I will fly AA again.

Cancelled flight after I arrived at airport after 75 min drive and parking. Next flight was 4 days in the future. Had to scramble and buy a much more expensive flight on another carrier.

Book with frontier airlines with the mentality that they'll cancel your flight, kick you off and lose your luggage. Anything besides that is a win. Compare prices with other airlines (to include luggage) and if frontier is still worth it, book it but know all of their policies.

You get what you pay for nothing essentially but a hard uncomfortable seat that doesn’t recline and kids screaming all around you and chaotic boarding and limited check bag weight allowance when compared to other airlines

I never got to experience the flight because they delayed my first flight and I missed this one. Then Frontier didn't want to help me rebook a flight to get me to my final destination.

Plane was down graded and I lost my uncharged exit row with more leg room. No mention or offer of refund from podium. Flight attendant was nice to explain this happens often and that I could request a refund via online form submission. I did this and have heard nothing back.

Horrendous. I do not recommend Frontier. The passengers lack manners and decency, and the flight attendants lack professionalism. If I wasn’t in a bind to fly with 48 hours notice for a job interview, I would not have selected a flight with Frontier and I never plan to fly with them in the future.

The seats were hard molded plastic covered in plastic vinyl. And the scam to charge people extra to sit together. Don’t they know we can just ask someone to trade seats. And watching the staff separate young children from parents… super classy. We had to guilt them into offering up our seats. This companies policies suck. Don’t give them your money.

Everything went as planned. Crew was great. Seats were still not that comfortable.

No frills for sure. No gate announcements about flight delay, not even water to drink on the flight.

The plane was clean, the crew was friendly and helpful. It’s a low cost airline so there was no food, drinks or in flight entertainment but we didn’t expect any of these things. In the room for improvement department, they should install USB ports in seats to charge mobile devices.

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

Complete your trip to Salinas with a hotel stay or car rental

Not what you’re looking for? Find thousands of other hotels, flights, car rentals and package deals with KAYAK.