$81 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 4/29. 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.
Travelers love KAYAK
41,299,237 searches in the past 7 days on KAYAK

Save 23% or moreCompare multiple travel sites with one search.

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

Bundle and saveSave money when you bundle your flight + hotel.

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

Flight Deals
Booking Insights
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 Francisco2 stops$242
San Jose
San Jose2 stops$190
San Francisco
San Francisco2 stops$242
San Jose
San Jose2 stops$190

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

Wed, Mar 4 - Mon, Mar 9
Multiple Airlines Logo
5:15 am - 5:44 pm
ORD
-
SJC
38h 29m
2 stops
Multiple Airlines Logo
8:20 pm - 6:08 am
SJC
-
ORD
7h 48m
1 stop
$190Multiple Airlines
Wed, Mar 4 - Mon, Mar 9
Frontier Logo
11:51 am - 5:44 pm
ORD
-
SJC
31h 53m
2 stops
Frontier Logo
8:20 pm - 6:08 am
SJC
-
ORD
7h 48m
1 stop
$192Frontier
Fri, Apr 24 - Mon, Apr 27
Multiple Airlines Logo
3:52 pm - 10:55 pm
ORD
-
SJC
9h 03m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
8:20 pm - 6:47 am
SJC
-
ORD
8h 27m
1 stop
$207Multiple Airlines
Wed, Mar 4 - Thu, Mar 5
Alaska Airlines Logo
8:20 am - 5:33 pm
ORD
-
SJC
11h 13m
1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
7:00 am - 11:59 pm
SJC
-
ORD
14h 59m
1 stop
$210Alaska Airlines
Tue, Mar 3 - Mon, Mar 9
Frontier Logo
6:02 pm - 9:39 am
ORD
-
SJC
41h 37m
2 stops
Frontier Logo
8:20 pm - 6:08 am
SJC
-
ORD
7h 48m
1 stop
$217Frontier
Thu, Apr 30 - Wed, May 6
Alaska Airlines Logo
3:52 pm - 10:55 pm
ORD
-
SJC
9h 03m
1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
10:21 am - 7:03 pm
SJC
-
ORD
6h 42m
1 stop
$223Alaska Airlines
Sun, Mar 1 - Thu, Mar 5
Delta Logo
6:45 pm - 11:51 pm
ORD
-
OAK
7h 06m
1 stop
Delta Logo
5:55 am - 6:01 pm
OAK
-
ORD
10h 06m
2 stops
$242Delta
Tue, Mar 3 - Tue, Mar 10
Delta Logo
5:25 am - 4:12 pm
ORD
-
OAK
12h 47m
2 stops
Delta Logo
4:49 pm - 8:30 am
OAK
-
ORD
13h 41m
2 stops
$247Delta
Wed, Apr 15 - Mon, Apr 20
American Airlines Logo
11:17 am - 2:12 pm
ORD
-
SFO
4h 55mnonstop
American Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 12:32 pm
SFO
-
ORD
4h 32mnonstop
$249American Airlines
Wed, Mar 4 - Sun, Mar 15
United Airlines Logo
4:20 pm - 7:19 pm
ORD
-
SFO
4h 59mnonstop
United Airlines Logo
6:44 pm - 12:59 am
SFO
-
ORD
4h 15mnonstop
$250United 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 $244 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 $244.

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 $430, 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 January, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $419 and $389 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 51% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 21 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonSeptember
Cheapest flight$81
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 15% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 9% 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 in the afternoon, when round-trip flights cost $386 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 11834 reviews
8.5Crew
8.1Boarding
7.1Food
7.8Comfort
7.0Entertainment
Airline reviews

Due to plane delays on both legs of my flight home, I had to be rerouted from Santa Rosa to Las Vegas on Skywest and then to DCA on American. SkyWest airlines sat on runway in Las Vegas for 20 minutes waiting for gate to clear. My boarding pass for American that I was given by Alaska was incomplete and the Las Vegas airport lacked signage and departure boards. I barely made my flight bc it was so confusing. American Airlines has a much better wireless connection. I’ll never fly Alaska again. It clearly has problems.

2.0 MediocreAnonymous, Jan 2026
STS - SAN
Read more Alaska Airlines reviews

Due to plane delays on both legs of my flight home, I had to be rerouted from Santa Rosa to Las Vegas on Skywest and then to DCA on American. SkyWest airlines sat on runway in Las Vegas for 20 minutes waiting for gate to clear. My boarding pass for American that I was given by Alaska was incomplete and the Las Vegas airport lacked signage and departure boards. I barely made my flight bc it was so confusing. American Airlines has a much better wireless connection. I’ll never fly Alaska again. It clearly has problems.

Great. I did have a little issue getting into the Lounge, which is likely more an American Airlines issue. I did not carry my physical AAdvantage Executive credit card with me on this trip, which Admirals Club membership is a part of the benefits of having this card. The instructions on the AA website and the Citi cards website make it seem like you don't need the physical card, as both sites state you can enter with your boarding pass and driver's license. But both lounges said you were required to present the physical card (and not the digital version, via Apple Pay), as only the physical card says "Admirals Club" on the back.I also do not have a physical Admirals Club membership card, so while both lounges eventually let me in, both denied me entrance initially for this reason.

I paid for wifi and it never worked... it was miserable. I couldn't access my shared files to work on the plane, it didn't work on my phone. I paid for nothing but frustration and continual refreshing, hoping it would work

We left about 30 minutes late due to ramp issues. It did not impact me, but I know others on the flight had very tight connections to Maui.

Everything from the time I booked my flight through to the end when I got home was smooth and wonderful. Service was great, the flight attendants were attentive and there were no outstanding delays.

Delayed and no entertainment? I also forgot my headphones and immediately reported it and have not heard back yet.

The crew was very friendly. Boarding was quick and efficient.

Again, very smooth and all of the Alaska folks were great. They continue to meet all my needs.

Overall it was fine, however one of my two checked bags did not arrive and I was told it was left in Palm Springs. I don't understand how one of the two bags made it through fine but the other got lost .

No WiFi. Terrible food. Very long walk to the gate and from the gate after landing. Gate changed without notice.

3 hour delay. Had to change plans and was still delayed.

The staff was very friendly, professional, and courteous. The overall flight was a great experience.

The flight crew was extremely rude and especially not helpful when our flight was delayed.

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

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.

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.

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

We experienced gate changes and a long delay. My seat was dirty when I boarded and I had to use wipes to clean it myself. There was an unpleasant and overpowering cleaning product scent on the plane as well that lingered through the flight.

My carry on baggage was damaged. Entire trip, I had to carry the baggage. When complained to the boarding crew, they got mad at me and still asked me to valet check in the cabin baggage. Rude boarding crew!!!

Crew were all friendly and helpful. It was a short flight so just a beverage service with a cookie. After we were boarded the plane took about 45 minutes to leave the gate but it was New Year’s Eve so not shocking there was some delay. Overall good experience and very grateful.

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.

Very well recently! Frontier is improving and less harrassing customer on luggages! Positive!

Good for a budget airline! It was easy to get on, staff was really nice. Can’t say anything about the food or entertainment because it wasn’t available, which is fine.

I am writing to express my disappointment with my recent Frontier Airlines flight. I was charged $99 at the gate because my bag was said to be too large, yet once onboard there was no available overhead bin space, and I was required to place the bag under the seat in front of me anyway. This made the charge feel unnecessary and unfair. Additionally, before the flight even took off, I was asked to move from the seat I paid for into a middle seat so another passenger and her cat could have my seat to themselves. I was not offered compensation or an explanation for being moved from a paid seat. Between the unexpected bag fee and being forced to give up my seat, this experience fell well below acceptable customer service standards. I would appreciate a review of this situation and appropriate compensation.

It was costly and difficult to check in. $85 to take a small suitcase with me, carry on or checked and $75 on the return trip, Plus $25 if I didn't check my self in check in $25, because I couldn't do it on the kiosk. Small very uncomfortable seats, waited on the runway for near an hour each way. It was my worst flight to date.

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.

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

Great for the price. No wifi or entertainment, but gate agents and crew were fantastic and we boarded quickly and left on time.

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

Information on your arrival and departure airports