$51 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 9/3. 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

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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 Franciscononstop$187
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$114
San Francisco
San Franciscononstop$187
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$114

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

Tue, Aug 19 - Wed, Aug 20
Spirit Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 3:46 pmORD-SJC
11h 46m1 stop
Spirit Airlines Logo
4:41 pm - 4:50 amSJC-ORD
10h 09m1 stop
$114Spirit Airlines
Find Deal
Wed, Sep 3 - Sat, Sep 6
Spirit Airlines Logo
6:21 pm - 11:27 pmORD-OAK
7h 06m1 stop
Spirit Airlines Logo
10:56 am - 9:32 pmOAK-ORD
8h 36m2 stops
$130Spirit Airlines
Find Deal
Sat, Aug 30 - Sat, Sep 6
American Airlines Logo
5:39 pm - 8:13 pmORD-SFO
4h 34mnonstop
American Airlines Logo
11:25 pm - 5:42 amSFO-ORD
4h 17mnonstop
$187American Airlines
Find Deal
Sun, Aug 31 - Tue, Sep 2
American Airlines Logo
6:45 am - 9:15 amORD-SFO
4h 30mnonstop
American Airlines Logo
6:10 am - 12:30 pmSFO-ORD
4h 20mnonstop
$188American Airlines
Find Deal
Wed, Aug 27 - Wed, Sep 3
United Airlines Logo
2:25 pm - 5:07 pmORD-SFO
4h 42mnonstop
United Airlines Logo
5:15 am - 11:46 amSFO-ORD
4h 31mnonstop
$197United Airlines
Find Deal
Thu, Aug 28 - Sun, Aug 31
United Airlines Logo
6:15 am - 8:56 amORD-SFO
4h 41mnonstop
United Airlines Logo
7:00 am - 1:32 pmSFO-ORD
4h 32mnonstop
$198United Airlines
Find Deal
Tue, Oct 7 - Wed, Oct 8
Alaska Airlines Logo
8:20 am - 2:01 pmORD-SFO
7h 41m1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
10:26 am - 11:59 pmSFO-ORD
11h 33m1 stop
$220Alaska Airlines
Find Deal
Fri, Jan 9 - Sat, Jan 10
Alaska Airlines Logo
7:45 am - 3:52 pmORD-SFO
10h 07m1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
6:30 pm - 1:59 pmSFO-ORD
17h 29m1 stop
$226Alaska Airlines
Find Deal
Sat, Aug 16 - Sat, Aug 23
Frontier Logo
1:39 pm - 7:39 pmORD-SFO
8h 00m1 stop
Frontier Logo
10:29 pm - 10:39 amSFO-ORD
10h 10m1 stop
$234Frontier
Find Deal
Sat, Aug 23 - Sat, Aug 30
Frontier Logo
7:00 am - 10:33 pmORD-SFO
17h 33m1 stop
Frontier Logo
10:29 pm - 10:39 amSFO-ORD
10h 10m1 stop
$237Frontier
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?

The cheapest price for flight routes found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks for round-trip flights from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to San Francisco Bay Area.

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 $195 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 $195.

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 $1,038, 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 April, when tickets cost $287 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are March and December, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $383 and $348 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 47% 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$51
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 2% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 11% increase in price.
Flight from Chicago O'Hare Airport to Oakland

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 14% 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 $458.

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 10000 reviews
7.1Entertainment
7.1Food
7.8Comfort
8.5Crew
8.1Boarding
Airline reviews

Checking in very confusing compared to Hawaiian Airlines - much simpler! Front checking in at airport can improve. Hawaiian service always gives the extra mile, with a smile. Alaska can use and spread the Aloha Spirit. Mahalo nui loa Thank you 🤙

8.0 ExcellentAnonymous, Jul 2025ORD - PDX
Read more Alaska Airlines reviews

Checking in very confusing compared to Hawaiian Airlines - much simpler! Front checking in at airport can improve. Hawaiian service always gives the extra mile, with a smile. Alaska can use and spread the Aloha Spirit. Mahalo nui loa Thank you 🤙

I was in the middle seat in the last row but that wasn’t their fault. It is why I rated the flight as mediocre, also the landing was a little rough. The good was really good. The self service luggage belt at SEATAC stopped working right when I reached it. I was literally placing my bag on the small belt when the main belt stopped. I understand that it wasn’t just Alaska but the entire side of the terminal. It took the agents about 20 minutes to arrive at a game plan and it certainly wasn’t flawless but they arranged for our luggage to be taken to the plane the old fashioned way by hand. Understandably, the plane was late in leaving. The flight took the proper amount of time and instead of arriving at OAK at 1:45, we got there at 2:30. I took my time getting to baggage claim because I knew it would be late if it was there at all. Sure enough it wasn’t but there was an agent there to greet me and inform me about my luggage. Long story longer, they delivered my luggage to where I was staying which was an hour away from the airport. Alaska has instituted a delivery type tracking system through my email that kept me informed of where my luggage was the whole time. WELL DONE!!

Very nice as always. Not that it’s anyone’s fault really but for some reason the seat (16C) was really hard…. Not typical for your planes… dunno what or why… maybe it was just me ?, The flight was great otherwise

Flight attendant was rude when I advised her that the bathroom had no paper towels or tissue paper.

Departing flight to San Diego was delayed. Return flight from SD to SBP was delayed. Not terrible but not ideal

I loved that the checking in process was seamlessly easy and user friendly. The crew was very nice and professional. Unfortunately, we were seated in the back of the plane across from the bathroom. There wasn’t much room for leg room and comfortability. Alongside, we had to listen to a baby crying up and down the aisle way for the entire plane ride. The turbulence of the plane landing was rocky. Overall, the experience with Alaska was just okay. We made it home alive so that’s always a positive.

would have been nice for flight to not be delayed by 2 hours so that we had to pay $80 to get home since BART had shut down. i thought a 10pm arrival would leave enough time to account for delays but i was wrong.

One of the best roundtrip flights I’ve ever been on. We needed assistance for my elderly mother and without fail, each and every Alaska team member was helpful, kind, and patient. Will fly Alaska again and again.

Delayed flight both ways. Then, on the return flight, we were stuck on the tarmac for at least 30+ minutes. Idk what happened, but this was a bad experience.

I liked Alaska better than other carriers that I have EVER used. Unfortunately, the plane from LAX to Guanacaste leg of my journey had some mechanical problems and had to return to LAX - causing my journey to be very long and added a day to my total trip. The Airline was very prompt in offering their apology and have given me credit to use for my next flight. I thought the terminal in LAX was too cold for comfort, especially if there is a long wait between flights.

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.

Evidently, my seat had the only broken TV. I couldn’t plug it in, get it to come on, or watch anything, and of course, no one could fix it while we were on the plane. The service was good and the boarding was quick

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

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.

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

Late departure by 1:45min. No explanation why. During boarding inconsistent policing of their baggage rules. Before takeoff and lamdimg strange obsession with window shade and armrest positions. Don't know why they care. 15 min tarmac delay on arrival, they blamed airport congestion but we were the o lh flight waiting, it was clear it was due to poor staff planning (only one ground crew to receive airplanes and multiple arrivals) Got there but was rrally lame the whole trip.

It was very bad it got delayed by 2 hours.Never going to travel with spirit airlines in future.

The flight times got delayed multiple times due to weather which is understandable, but later the time got prepared 30min. Made to the flight barely but got stressed too much.

Boarding was a breeze, however, two of the flights that I boarded with Spirit did not have Wi-Fi available.

Very good. Nothing more or less than expected. No complaints.

My experience with the spirit as a first time it was OK, but the seats need a little cushion, the problem I had the most impacted me was when checking in the scales were so off and wrong. It will tell that you would have more weight, which was not true. The scale was say that it had Thirty Eight Pounds, when get in the labels when we send the luggage into the band. It says that it was overweight. I really really dislike that because the scales are not accurate. If I use Spirit and I have that issue again. That will be my last time flying with the spirit, even though I like so much to service the planes, and everything else

hahaha we are delayed for one hour plus.. but thx we arrived San Diego safe

Worst airline ever! The guy weighing my bag had his foot on the metal plate and when I called him out on it, I got this stupid little smirk. La is a scam and so is Spirit Airlines. All the flight attendants looked like they hated our flight just as much as we did.

Very dissatisfied with spirit airlines after buying my ticket's they cancelled our flights with no reasoning.

Unclear pricing; ended up being charged an extra $52 just to get onboard

Severe turbulence. Captain never came on to reassure passengers after things settled down.

My first flight was delayed 5 hours. The 2nd flight was canceled til the next day and the never even tried to compensate for it. Worse I was delayed again on the flight the rebooked me on.

Boarding in Orlando was not good. Giant mob at the gate, should have been lines.

Decent clean onboard experience. Okay discount airline experience. Unfortunately, any customer service interactions are difficult and unhelpful. There is no service. Also, a premium seat only gets you premium boarding if you line up first. Once they start general boarding you must go to the back of the line. Not very premium

baggage clamed had to wait over a hour and half for all people on my flight it was terrible

The ticketing agents were rude but then we had a great gate agent very nice we had to ride a buss out to where the plane was parked but it was in some back corner of the airport when we got to the plane the captain who was great btw was cleaning the plane because the same rude ticketing agent told them they we not contracted to vacuum the plane. The ride to las Vegas was fine We had a connecting flight to Dallas. The flight was fine but when we arrived in Dallas everyone who flew on any frontier airlines the picked up bags from baggage claim D15 had to wait over a hour for their bags to start we arrived at 11:30pm ish to the gate we didn't leave the baggage clamed till 12:50 am very not happy and i used to fly frontier 4 times a week for work in Denver i will not be using them again

I was 2 hr arrive in the airport and 45 min in the line . After take to my turn . The agent tell me I’m later . I can not board . So my vacation was going to the floor . Just for their bad customer service agent in the airline

Frontier Airlines was AWFUL. I was an hour early for my flight and the lady refused to check me in. I had to purchase a whole new ticket with a different airline.

My flight was canceled I was promised a reginf still not received.

The crew was mostly okay. The flight attendant who answered our questions was curt and unhelpful unfortunately. He seemed upset and I understand having off days.

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