$71 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 11/20. 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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Flight Deals

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 Francisco1 stop$249
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$240
San Francisco
San Francisco1 stop$249
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$240

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

Mon, Mar 2 - Wed, Mar 4
Alaska Airlines Logo
9:00 am - 4:43 pmORD-SJC
9h 43m1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
12:45 pm - 11:10 pmSJC-ORD
8h 25m1 stop
$231Alaska Airlines
Find Deal
Wed, Feb 25 - Wed, Mar 4
Alaska Airlines Logo
9:00 am - 4:43 pmORD-SJC
9h 43m1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
12:45 pm - 11:10 pmSJC-ORD
8h 25m1 stop
$232Alaska Airlines
Find Deal
Sat, Feb 14 - Fri, Feb 20
Delta Logo
6:00 am - 11:15 amORD-SFO
7h 15m1 stop
Delta Logo
9:30 pm - 8:39 amSFO-ORD
9h 09m1 stop
$253Delta
Find Deal
Sat, Feb 14 - Thu, Feb 19
Frontier Logo
3:24 pm - 12:25 amORD-SFO
11h 01m2 stops
Frontier Logo
8:59 pm - 10:39 amSFO-ORD
11h 40m1 stop
$255Frontier
Find Deal
Wed, Dec 3 - Mon, Dec 8
Delta Logo
7:40 pm - 12:08 amORD-OAK
6h 28m1 stop
Delta Logo
12:30 pm - 9:21 pmOAK-ORD
6h 51m1 stop
$261Delta
Find Deal
Thu, Nov 13 - Sun, Nov 16
Frontier Logo
6:30 am - 9:22 pmORD-SFO
16h 52m2 stops
Frontier Logo
1:10 pm - 12:59 amSFO-ORD
9h 49m1 stop
$263Frontier
Find Deal
Wed, Dec 24 - Tue, Dec 30
United Airlines Logo
4:20 pm - 7:16 pmORD-SFO
4h 56mnonstop
United Airlines Logo
6:50 pm - 1:09 amSFO-ORD
4h 19mnonstop
$275United Airlines
Find Deal
Thu, Dec 4 - Mon, Dec 8
United Airlines Logo
6:35 pm - 9:29 pmORD-SFO
4h 54mnonstop
United Airlines Logo
10:40 am - 5:00 pmSFO-ORD
4h 20mnonstop
$297United Airlines
Find Deal
Thu, Nov 27 - Tue, Dec 2
Southwest Logo
7:15 am - 1:35 pmORD-OAK
8h 20m1 stop
Southwest Logo
12:45 pm - 10:35 pmOAK-ORD
7h 50m2 stops
$327Southwest
Find Deal
Thu, Nov 27 - Mon, Dec 1
Southwest Logo
7:15 am - 1:35 pmORD-OAK
8h 20m1 stop
Southwest Logo
5:40 am - 2:05 pmOAK-ORD
6h 25m1 stop
$340Southwest
Find Deal
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 $292 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 $292.

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 $419, 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 $287 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are March and November, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $384 and $384 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 49% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 15 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonFebruary
Cheapest flight$71
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 0% 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 $375 on average. Morning departures are around 20% 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 $490.

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 11214 reviews
7.8Comfort
7.0Entertainment
8.5Crew
8.1Boarding
7.1Food
Airline reviews

Overall the flight was on-time and plane ride very comfortable. The free snacks not so good - only a small bag of pretzels and no milk. I wanted milk. There was not entertainment on the plane unless I wanted to download their APP. But I would consider flying with them again and be more prepared on my part with food and entertainment.

10.0 ExcellentSara, Oct 2025JFK - SFO
Read more Alaska Airlines reviews

Overall the flight was on-time and plane ride very comfortable. The free snacks not so good - only a small bag of pretzels and no milk. I wanted milk. There was not entertainment on the plane unless I wanted to download their APP. But I would consider flying with them again and be more prepared on my part with food and entertainment.

Waiting 2 hours after landing to arrive at a gate was ridiculous.

Almost 3 hr delay in Settle with very little information available to passengers. They boarded the plane and we waited for a long time inside the plane as well.

I was delayed several times. Missed a very important event. The airline only provided a $12 voucher after being delayed 3 times.

I was a pilot with EAL so my input maters more than the average traveler. The crew at the ticket counter were amazing. I was traveling with a frozen 20 pound turkey from our farm in Oxford Florida and they were over the top in helping me get through TSA. The gate personnel were likewise accommodating. You and Jet Blue are my favorite airlines . Would love to do an add for Alaska Airlines. Nels Siverson

Online check in didn't work. Somehow ended up with 2 Alaska rewards numbers and 1 for Hawaiian. No one at check in could figure out what to do. No one at check in could help me confirm an upcoming flight on Hawaiian Airlines.

This was more with the third party booking through Kayak but my KTN for Pre-TSA, even though I entered it, wasn't assigned to my ticket when I got to the airport. I had to go through regular security. Also the Alaska app had trouble loading my ticket in the first place and I had to ask for it to be printed. Alaska Airlines was great but wanted you to know about this hiccup in the ticketing interface.

The flight was fine, but the Kayak app is terrible. I could not input my flight. I couldn’t use it for anything and it would not even let me try to add a seat once you purchased the ticket you might as well. Delete the Kayak app as far as I’m concerned. I’m done with kayak. Com

My flight got canceled never left san diego and miss out my fam event

Food and entertainment not applicable - standard drinks and cinnamon cookies; crew did not do a song and dance for us so no entertainment. I like the slightly better leg room than American Airlines - at least it felt that way. Flight crew and atmosphere seemed more welcoming than American, too.

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.

Very smooth checking in our luggage with a super pleasant SW agent. I enjoyed a fun entertaining movie.

after landing, we stay 2 hours on the taxi way before reaching the gate The airline and the crew were good though

First time traveling on Southwest since bag fees were implemented. Usual good service. Just more expensive now.

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!

Excellent flight. Smooth, efficient boarding. Quick flight. Arrived early at STL.

I will never book a flight through Cheap fare. They booked me from Portland Main . And would not give me a refund, so I bought 2 tickets one for 299. From Portland Main to ORD. Then I had to buy a ticket from Oregon PDX to ORD that was another 440. So Just so you know they even told me it was there fault but no refund. Bad bussniess. I did inform United but they said they couldn't help me due to the fact I booked through Cheap Tickets. Never again. And I'm spreding the word. I let everyone know at my 50th class reunion

Crew and customer service were excellent. This flight also had plenty of leg room and seat mounted screens for entertainment. A very pleasant flight all around!

It would have been better if the crew has supported my husband's reasons for needing to keep the space clear around his feet, rather than insisting that he put his knapsack in that space.

Subject: Formal Complaint: Discriminatory and Unprofessional Conduct – Request for Immediate Action & Compensation Dear [Airline Customer Relations Team], I am writing to file a formal complaint regarding my recent travel experience with [Airline], which was by far the worst I have ever encountered. What occurred was not only unprofessional, but in several instances discriminatory, unsafe, and unacceptable. On the first leg of my trip, I arrived only four minutes past check-in. Instead of making any attempt to resolve the matter, your representative flatly denied me boarding and made me wait while she attended to passengers who arrived after me. By the time a manager intervened, it was too late to board, costing me time, money, and unnecessary frustration. The second leg of my trip (Chicago–San Francisco) raised even more serious concerns. From the outset, it was apparent that the staff—particularly two attendants—prioritized Caucasian passengers while dismissing African American and minority passengers. • When a Caucasian passenger in the exit row refused to comply with federal safety requirements, I, as a first responder, immediately offered to switch seats and assume the responsibility. My offer was blatantly ignored, and instead, a Caucasian passenger seated further up was chosen. This was discriminatory and deeply insulting, especially as I was actively de-escalating the situation that could have delayed the flight further. • During a lengthy tarmac delay of over 90 minutes, passengers were given conflicting and unreasonable instructions that created unnecessary distress and tension. • Throughout the flight, a visibly intoxicated passenger directly in front of me was disruptive, rude to others, failed to comply with seatbelt and electronic device rules, and yet faced no enforcement from the crew. In stark contrast, I was singled out for repeated compliance checks even though I was following every rule. This unequal treatment was so obvious that multiple passengers around me spoke up in my defense. This pattern of behavior demonstrated a clear lack of professionalism, disregard for passenger safety, and discriminatory treatment. I expect far better from an airline of your stature. As a paying customer subjected to this unacceptable treatment, I am formally requesting: 1. A full investigation into the conduct of the staff on both flights. 2. A written apology acknowledging the discriminatory and unprofessional behavior I endured. 3. Appropriate compensation for the distress, inconvenience, and mishandling of my travel. If this matter is not addressed promptly and thoroughly, I will have no choice but to escalate my complaint further, including filing with the U.S. Department of Transportation and sharing my experience through other channels. I trust [Airline] will take this complaint seriously and provide a timely resolution.

Check in was quick and easy during early hours. Flight was on time, and customer services was a plus.

Once we got in the air the pilot made up some of the time of the delay. So that was really nice.

Excellent flight. Boarding was efficient and departure was on time. Smooth flight with on time arrival. Deplaning was also efficient.

It was delayed instead of departing at 9:20pm, we departed at 11pm… putting us in Columbus after 2am! It was awful. Had I known about the delay, I could have spent some time in the United Lounge… I was starving because I started my journey in Budapest… so I was exhausted and hungry. Plus I had to make new arrangements to be picked up at the airport in Columbus, instead of midnight it was 2:30 am after getting luggage and out of airport. Not feasible. I would have just stayed in Chicago for the night and gotten a morning flight.

It was great, I’m very grateful for the pilots and crew flight attendants for everything.

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

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.

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

Boarding was on time and plane departed as scheduled. There are obviously no amenities (food, drink, entertainment) on Frontier, but there also didn't seem to be any issues with luggage space either.

Inbound plane was on time and flight departed on time with no issues while boarding.

I knew going into this that Frontier, being a low cost carrier, would be pretty bare bones and charge for most extras but this was made up for by the fact that the airplane was a reasonably new Airbus, every employee was great and best of all, Everett Washington is an amazing airport - thanks Frontier for flying there!!!

i was unable to check in the flight. refund requested

It was well done. It was my first time flying with them and I was nervous b/c I have heard of many cancelled and/or delray flights. Everything went smoothly.

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.

The single worst check in experience I could imagine. I’ll never do any business with Frontier or any affiliated company

Too many extra fees, uncomfortable, little leg room. Will not recommend this airline.

I think Frontier was very good at communication. Their app worked very well. Loading was great and the flight was nice and easy.

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