$91 Find Cheap Flights from Chicago to San Francisco Bay Area

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 2/19. 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 Bay Area

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Chicago to San Francisco Bay Area.
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Chicago to San Francisco Bay Area.
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Cheap Flights from Chicago to San Francisco Bay Area

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours
San Francisco
San Francisco2 stops$242
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$217
San Francisco
San Francisco2 stops$242
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$217

Book Cheap Chicago to San Francisco Bay Area Plane Tickets

 
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 Bay Area 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 Bay Area

Sun, Jan 11 - Thu, Jan 15
Frontier Logo
8:49 pm - 6:14 pm
ORD
-
SJC
23h 25m1 stop
Frontier Logo
11:14 am - 9:11 pm
SJC
-
ORD
7h 57m1 stop
$217Frontier
Wed, Jan 14 - Sat, Jan 17
Frontier Logo
12:00 pm - 8:47 pm
ORD
-
SFO
34h 47m2 stops
Frontier Logo
11:20 pm - 12:08 pm
SFO
-
ORD
10h 48m1 stop
$242Frontier
Thu, Jan 22 - Wed, Jan 28
Alaska Airlines Logo
3:35 pm - 11:03 pm
ORD
-
SFO
9h 28m1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
9:16 am - 11:37 pm
SFO
-
ORD
12h 21m1 stop
$244Alaska Airlines
Wed, Jan 21 - Tue, Jan 27
American Airlines Logo
11:46 am - 2:37 pm
ORD
-
SFO
4h 51mnonstop
American Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 12:25 pm
SFO
-
ORD
4h 25mnonstop
$247American Airlines
Sat, Jan 31 - Thu, Feb 5
Alaska Airlines Logo
3:44 pm - 10:47 pm
ORD
-
SFO
9h 03m1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
2:30 pm - 11:50 pm
SFO
-
ORD
7h 20m1 stop
$248Alaska Airlines
Sun, Jan 18 - Sun, Jan 25
Delta Logo
6:15 am - 2:01 pm
ORD
-
SFO
9h 46m1 stop
Delta Logo
5:45 am - 4:38 pm
SFO
-
ORD
8h 53m1 stop
$250Delta
Sat, Feb 21 - Tue, Feb 24
American Airlines Logo
7:42 pm - 10:40 pm
ORD
-
SFO
4h 58mnonstop
American Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 12:24 pm
SFO
-
ORD
4h 24mnonstop
$251American Airlines
Sat, Jan 17 - Wed, Feb 4
Delta Logo
5:20 pm - 9:38 pm
ORD
-
OAK
6h 18m1 stop
Delta Logo
5:55 am - 1:38 pm
OAK
-
ORD
5h 43m1 stop
$252Delta
Mon, Feb 9 - Tue, Feb 17
Hawaiian Airlines Logo
6:06 pm - 1:08 pm
ORD
-
SJC
21h 02m1 stop
Hawaiian Airlines Logo
2:50 pm - 11:59 pm
SJC
-
ORD
7h 09m1 stop
$254Hawaiian Airlines
Fri, Jan 23 - Fri, Jan 30
Hawaiian Airlines Logo
8:00 am - 2:42 pm
ORD
-
SJC
8h 42m1 stop
Hawaiian Airlines Logo
11:00 am - 11:50 pm
SJC
-
ORD
10h 50m1 stop
$271Hawaiian Airlines
Booking Insights

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

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

What is the cheapest Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to San Francisco Bay Area flight route?

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

The cheapest ticket to San Francisco Bay Area from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport found in the last 72 hours was to San Francisco, at $256 round-trip. The most popular route is from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport (ORD) to San Francisco (SFO), and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $256.

Can I save money by flying with a layover from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to San Francisco Bay Area?

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 $440, prices are generally cheapest when you fly direct.

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

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 Bay Area, 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 Bay Area is May, when tickets cost $288 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are November and December, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $420 and $404 respectively.

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

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

When flying from Chicago to San Francisco Bay Area, you should consider leaving on a Thursday 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 Sundays.

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

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 Bay Area, 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 Bay Area, 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.

Good to know

Low seasonFebruary
Cheapest flight$91
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 2% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 11% increase in price.
Flight from Chicago O'Hare Airport to San Jose

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 from Chicago to San Francisco Bay Area 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 from Chicago to San Francisco Bay Area with an airline and back 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 from Chicago to San Francisco Bay Area up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

  • What is the cheapest time of day to fly to San Francisco Bay Area?

    The cheapest time of day to fly to San Francisco Bay Area is generally at night, when round-trip flights cost $378 on average. Morning departures are around 22% cheaper than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to San Francisco Bay Area is generally in the evening, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $502.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from Chicago to San Francisco Bay Area

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Chicago to San Francisco Bay Area. 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 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 11554 reviews
8.1Boarding
7.8Comfort
7.0Entertainment
7.1Food
8.5Crew
Airline reviews

Was notified the departure would be late. Later on it was suddenly on time. Traffic by LAX was horrendous, and I missed the flight.

2.0 MediocreAnonymous, Dec 2025
LAX - SFO
Read more Alaska Airlines reviews

Was notified the departure would be late. Later on it was suddenly on time. Traffic by LAX was horrendous, and I missed the flight.

you sent me to some shitty "Airfaireassist" thing that did a bait and switch on the faire. Won't be using Kayak ever again

Great airline. Sat next to a really big person tho

Did not like that every price option offered, even the more expensive one, required I pay for my seat. My seat was changed without my consent My TSA did not show in Boarding Pass

I wasn’t able to check in prior to arriving at the airport, I was told by the agent I may not get a seat on the plane as others were waiting for seats, I sat there for 2 hours before being assigned a seat, very stressful. The plane was delayed. Overall not a great travel experience for a 44 minute flight.

Boarding passes could not be received online, even after online check-in. While they appeared on the Alaska.com app, they did not transfer to inbox or messages and were not available at all on the Alaska.com app following the check-in process. There was no choice other than to get boarding passes at the airport counter.

Every thing is on time, boarding, landing nice and smooth. But No tv? No food for 6 hours flight?

I always choose Alaska when I can. Every thing seems to run more efficiently with them.

I don’t think Alaska coordinates with Kayak. I did not get a “check-in” email inviting me to check in 24 hours in advance. Had to wait 20+ minutes to get a wheel chair.

The plane was delayed which was annoying. No seat back screens is a bummer. Staff if great

The boarding and seat assignment system no longer works for me, but I know it is being replaced. Otherwise, I am good with the overall experience.

The lead steward kept singing about "San Francisco" and hotel California---more annoying than humorous....needs work. Flight was smooth and on time.

Still a fan of open seating. Flight was on schedule and arrived on time. The 737 MAX is very comfortable.

San Diego airport is brand new, spacious, airy and very smooth checkin at SW baggage drop.

Plane crashed into a bus or some other vehicle on the ground while pulling out of the gate. No injuries, but wing tip was damaged and returned to gate for “maintenance issues” and we departed 5 hours later because the plane went out of service and new plane was flown in from a nearby airport, Midway.

Ever since Southwest starting charging for bags, passengers don't want to pay to check their bags, so the gate agents have to beg people to check their roller bags now because there's "not enough space". This was a terrible business move by Southwest.

All was good. I just had a hard time getting connected to the WiFi/internet during the flight

Delays delays delays. Late taking off, late landing, wait for a gate, etc.

Connecting flight is on time and boarding was a breeze!

Better and more food and drinks. Put msnbc and free speech tv on the news channel selection list.

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.

I liked the snacks and the flight attendants were friendly.

After a delay at the gate, C3, at Ohare on Sunday, I left my Blk ski coat on the bench at the gate, lost! Please review my lob claim, thx.

Very thoughtful flight attendant offered me water immediately since I had run to make my connection.

Always wish for more healthy, gluten free options. We have to bring our own.

Having a long layover, I was very appreciative of the ability to stand by for an earlier flight. Other airlines like Delta have refused this to me in the past, just to be mean (because my ticket class wasn't high enough). United went out of their way to help me get to my destination early, which I really appreciated given that it was the third leg of a 24+ hour journey for me.

Other than a way way too cold cabinets for the entire flight, all was great

One bag is incorrect and not acceptable for an international flight. The food was not just good. I won't fly with them again.

The boarding process needs to be fixed. The zone don't work, especially when there is hardly anyone in zones 3, 4,and 5, leaving the majority of the passengers backed up in the aisle, especially because passengers seated near the front are blocking passengers who are seated in the rear of the plane. It would also help if the size of carry on bags was more strictly enforced.

The boarding by groups is pointless. The first two groups worked fine, but almost Noone boarded in goups three thru five leaving the vast majority boarding when group six was called. It defeated the purpose of spreading out the crowd.

We loved the steward on the plane. He made the night enjoyable

The plane was late, when we did board the plane was as cold as a freezer. I was freezing the entire flight, no blankets. Lost miserable flight I’ve ever had.

3 hour weather delay followed by 1 hour (and counting) maintenance delay. UGH!

After we'd boarded , they canceled the flight. The crew didn't even know , we just all received text messages. Then after they deplaned us , AA was just like "too bad, go F your self, we sure ain't gonna help you"

After a two hour delay, my flight was CANCELLED! No pilot available. Such BS.

Amazing food, great staff, with one noticable detail missing ...but no seat entertainment in any of aircraft ...I am not a fan

I wish American Airlines would change the airline industry by loading the plane back to front instead of front to back. Planes would board so much more smoothly and quickly.

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

I loved the staff on the plane. So friendly and helpful! However, there was an argument and misunderstanding by the staff and a customer at the gate, and the staff member was being unprofessional. When we arrived in Atlanta, we waited 1.5 hrs for our luggage to arrive. When I asked the airport attendant, they said Frontier had the longest wait for luggage out of any airlines, and that they could not be held responsible for the delay.

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.

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

i was unable to check in the flight. refund requested

Just know that everything, and I mean everything is “ala cart”. 60$ just to put something in the overhead bin. I will never fly Frontier again nor do I recommend them to anyone else.

Everything you need to know for your flight to San Francisco Bay Area

Information on your arrival and departure airports