$83 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 6/25. 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

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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.
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 Francisco1 stop$234
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$301
San Francisco
San Francisco1 stop$234
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$301

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

Fri, Apr 17 - Tue, Apr 21
Delta Logo
7:10 pm - 11:54 pm
ORD
-
OAK
6h 44m
1 stop
Delta Logo
12:34 pm - 9:18 pm
OAK
-
ORD
6h 44m
1 stop
$227Delta
Tue, Apr 21 - Wed, May 6
Delta Logo
5:04 pm - 11:54 pm
ORD
-
OAK
8h 50m
2 stops
Delta Logo
12:34 pm - 9:45 pm
OAK
-
ORD
7h 11m
1 stop
$232Delta
Mon, Apr 20 - Sun, Apr 26
Frontier Logo
8:58 pm - 1:52 pm
ORD
-
SFO
18h 54m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
10:38 pm - 11:32 am
SFO
-
ORD
10h 54m
1 stop
$234Frontier
Tue, Apr 14 - Tue, Apr 28
Frontier Logo
8:58 pm - 1:52 pm
ORD
-
SFO
18h 54m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
10:38 pm - 10:02 am
SFO
-
ORD
9h 24m
1 stop
$235Frontier
Tue, May 5 - Tue, May 12
Alaska Airlines Logo
3:52 pm - 10:23 pm
ORD
-
OAK
8h 31m
1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
8:10 pm - 5:05 am
OAK
-
ORD
6h 55m
1 stop
$247Alaska Airlines
Wed, Apr 15 - Tue, Apr 21
Southwest Logo
7:45 am - 1:30 pm
ORD
-
OAK
7h 45m
1 stop
Southwest Logo
3:00 pm - 11:55 pm
OAK
-
ORD
6h 55m
1 stop
$257Southwest
Tue, Apr 28 - Sat, May 2
Alaska Airlines Logo
8:48 pm - 9:13 am
ORD
-
OAK
14h 25m
1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
6:20 am - 7:52 pm
OAK
-
ORD
11h 32m
1 stop
$261Alaska Airlines
Wed, Apr 15 - Tue, Apr 21
Southwest Logo
7:45 am - 1:30 pm
ORD
-
OAK
7h 45m
1 stop
Southwest Logo
12:25 pm - 10:55 pm
OAK
-
ORD
8h 30m
2 stops
$262Southwest
Thu, Apr 30 - Sat, May 2
United Airlines Logo
7:50 pm - 10:46 pm
ORD
-
SJC
4h 56mnonstop
United Airlines Logo
2:33 pm - 12:58 am
SJC
-
ORD
8h 25m
1 stop
$302United Airlines
Thu, Apr 16 - Sat, Apr 18
United Airlines Logo
7:46 pm - 10:41 pm
ORD
-
SJC
4h 55mnonstop
United Airlines Logo
3:45 pm - 12:29 am
SJC
-
ORD
6h 44m
1 stop
$304United 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 $219 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 $219.

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

The average price for all round-trip flights from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to San Francisco Bay Area depending on the time of departure, clicked by users on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks.

The cheapest time of day to fly to San Francisco Bay Area is generally in the afternoon, when round-trip flights cost $392 on average. Morning departures are around 24% 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 $527.

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 $436, 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 March, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $427 and $408 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 52% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 21 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight$83
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 17% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 12% 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.

Top tips for finding cheap flights to San Francisco Bay Area

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found tickets from Chicago to the following destinations at these prices or less: San Francisco $202 one-way - $347 round-trip

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
SouthwestOverall score based on 4325 reviews
8.6Crew
8.1Boarding
7.5Entertainment
7.0Food
8.0Comfort
Airline reviews

I flew twice this week on Southwest, was delayed over 2 hours both ways. From Pittsburgh to Chicago it was due to weather but the gate agents, pilot etc were great at updating everyone. Today from Midway to Pittsburgh the plane had come from an international location, kept getting delayed, no information was given until we were delayed for the third time. It was ridiculous, whoever scheduled that plane to fly to Pittsburgh after didn’t consider a lot of things.

2.0 MediocreBeth, Mar 2026
MDW - PIT
Read more Southwest reviews

I flew twice this week on Southwest, was delayed over 2 hours both ways. From Pittsburgh to Chicago it was due to weather but the gate agents, pilot etc were great at updating everyone. Today from Midway to Pittsburgh the plane had come from an international location, kept getting delayed, no information was given until we were delayed for the third time. It was ridiculous, whoever scheduled that plane to fly to Pittsburgh after didn’t consider a lot of things.

Boarding was easy. The seats are small and fairly uncomfortable

The problem with the seat assignments is that there were a lot of rows in the front that were empty but my row at the back was full. Just not so pleasant.

No food or entertainment, just a quick 40 minute flight. A little bumpy due to Santa Ana winds but pilot has no control over that. Good flight and landing!

Good but I prefer choose your own seat. With the new assigned seats they should board from the back I see no advantage to this new boarding. Just like every other airline

Mediocre. Boarding is now unpleasant. The employees, once friendly and nice, are now regularly speaking sternly to passengers, badgering them to do things right so they can take off on time and gate check bags because they don't have enough overhead bin space. The pretzel snack was crushed flat and broken into even smaller pieces, which happens frequently lately. Drink service was suspended before they reached my row.

The charges were ridiculous for an hour flight and the turbulence was very scary.

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.

Four hour delay. Missed our event. And they offered me $75. Absolutely shameful.

i canceled my flight from SEA to SFO, SNA to SEA and received full refund from Alaska Airlines. i am pleased with the customer service.

I have been flying commercial for decades. I was in one of the ladder boarding groups, had my bag tagged because they thought there was not going to be enough space for it in the overhead bins. I politely asked one of the attendance if I could try to find a space- she said I could and I did. I then took the bag tag off and gave it to one of the other attendants as I was told to do by the first one. He, in a curt, anal, and disrespectful manner, told me that I needed to take my bag down from the overhead bin and check it. This was a situation I’ve never encountered before. The attendant’s attitude was confrontational and belittling in front of other onlooking passengers as if daring me to challenge him. I am a physician who takes care of patients day in and day out. Not wanting to make a scene, I calmly told him, “do what you need to do.” he took my bag down from the overhead bin, put the back tag back on it, and checked it only to make room for another bag that was also supposed to be technically checked by a following passenger. The same male attendant later came up to me and said “you shouldn’t have showed me the bag tag,” as if conveying that he was just following protocol was a justification for treating me like a kid out of line. I cared about this because it took 15 minutes from my life to then retrieve the bag at baggage claim and it also felt like really poor customer service. I understand the need for protocols. This is also a service industry, and we the passengers are the clients. We should be made to feel welcome and respected and our life in transit made as easy as it can be within reason. This attendant clearly needs to be reminded of that. Of note, an older female fellow passenger sitting next to me agreed with this assessment.

Departing flight for our weekend trip was cancelled due to weather which meant our return flight was useless. The whole thing was difficult to get support through but Alaska did recover and was able to reimburse us for the flights yesterday. For some reason, Kayak was not kept in the loop, adding to the confusion.

i canceled my return flight package with Alaska Airlines. Customer Service was excellent and assisted me to cancelled both of our reservations and returned the payment in full. that is excellent service and understanding and empathy of the customers' needs. i like Alaska Airlines and recommend AS to everyone.

You sent me an email saying boarding was at 9:29 and AA sent one that was 8:29 on Sunday morning. I had to call AA to get that it was indeed 8:29.

The airport crew and on board experience was fine. The problem with Alaska air is that there is zero customer service over the phone when you’re trying to buy your ticket or change anything.

The front desk attendant was rude to everyone in an absolutely careless way.

Good as usual. Just wished my seat was assigned at online check in. Thanks anyways

I like flying Alaska Airlines. I think the staff are happy, the plane is comfortable, the entertainment reasonable, the food acceptable.

This trip did not start off well. The inbound flight was delayed about 20 minutes. Then, after initial onboarding, the passengers had to deplane due to a mechanical problem. That took about 30 minutes to fix and be cleared. Then, reboarding was chaotic. It took a long time to sort passengers and two passengers on standby were ticketed but there was no seat. So, they had to deplane. One of the flight crew was trying to help passengers figure out a place to put their carry-on bags and that took more time. In the end, our scheduled 10:30 am departure did not actually take off until about 12:05 pm CST. The flight itself was long but we got to Houston. Some passengers missed their connecting flights and had to rebook. Not the best of flights I've had.

We were delayed for about an hour from taking off due to traffic control procedures at the destination airport. But once in the air, the flight went well. The crew members were great and provided cabin service despite moderate turbulence during much of the flight.

Short flight, but no drink/snack service. The flights both going and coming were delayed.

Not being stranded in Chicago for her airport to 11:30 tomorrow morning the 3rd

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. :/

The gate got changed several times and the flight was delayed over an hour. Awful experience

American continues to decline in their customer service and its beyond disappointing.

It was an older plane. First Class was not especially roomy or comfortable. It was a short flight so there were no meal but they did offer mixed nuts which used to be normal but now is rare. Crew member was very polite and professional.

Flight to Tampa was delayed taking off due to plane arriving late but no other issues

As previously stated the delay I experienced flying from Wichita to Chicago caused a host of issues. When I finally was able to be booked on the last remaining American flight from Chicago to Cincinnati, the gate changed four times with the last change occurring very near the scheduled boarding time. While I didn't have a problem moving from gate to gate, I did notice and make note of others that had mobility issues and had to move each time for the gate change.

Maintenance took a very long time and then we were in a holding pattern. While a one-off maintenance issue is standard, there were delays on both of my flights for this trip based on maintenance issues with the planes, which delayed both flights over 45 minutes. Thankfully, I didn't have any connections but it wasn't an experience that would make me pick AA if I have other options.

No Snacks or Entertainment. The flight was short, snacks should still be given.

See prior comment about how Kayak mishandled my reservation and delayed my arrival by 6 hours.

Boarding delayed 20 minutes for no reason, no wifi, in flight entertainment, or snacks / waters?

Delayed an hour due to operational issues. Minimal apologies or care for the significant inconvenience caused. Landed at nearly 1am and they still couldn’t find ground staff to get us off the plane promptly.

More inflight connection. And leg space is horrible. And the paying for baggage I'd ridiculous!!!

My flight was originally from SAT to MCO connecting from MCO to ORD. We got diverted to ATL and than Frontier staff there was sooo un helpful first they said they couldn’t give us any accommodation since our flight first got delayed that cancelled and now it’s 221am and I am still in ATL since they said they need to create a new flight my final destination is ORD and I have been delayed twice and cancelled. With no real help the frontier app didn’t work no email updates over all such a horrible experience

There's no seats that lean back with little leg space i wad uncomfortable the entire flight. Your charges for extra baggage is despicable and costly!!

Remind customers of the need to have passport or new ID for boarding.

Flight was canceled. Most upsetting was message from Kayak, stating that the flight was canceled and click with Kayak for details regarding rebook, refund details. THERE'S NO INFORMATION PROVIDED BY KAYAK EXCEPT THAT FLIGHT IS CANCELED. AND NOW THIS SURVEY TO FIND OUT HOW WAS THE FLIGHT !!!!!!!

The flight never took off and we spent 7 hours at the airport

Our flight was canceled. I will never use Kayak nor Frontier for travel again. The entire experience was a headache.

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

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

Information on your arrival and departure airports