$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 2/12. 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 Francisco1 stop$238
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$240
San Francisco
San Francisco1 stop$238
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

Sat, Jan 10 - Tue, Jan 20
Delta Logo
7:20 am - 12:23 pm
ORD
-
SFO
7h 03m1 stop
Delta Logo
2:35 pm - 11:53 pm
SFO
-
ORD
7h 18m1 stop
$238Delta
Fri, Jan 23 - Tue, Jan 27
Alaska Airlines Logo
3:44 pm - 10:47 pm
ORD
-
SFO
9h 03m1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
11:41 am - 11:37 pm
SFO
-
ORD
9h 56m1 stop
$239Alaska Airlines
Mon, Jan 12 - Thu, Jan 15
Multiple Airlines Logo
9:00 am - 2:21 pm
ORD
-
SJC
7h 21m1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
11:14 am - 9:11 pm
SJC
-
ORD
7h 57m1 stop
$240Multiple Airlines
Sun, Jan 18 - Tue, Jan 27
Alaska Airlines Logo
8:00 am - 3:50 pm
ORD
-
SFO
9h 50m1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
9:16 am - 11:37 pm
SFO
-
ORD
12h 21m1 stop
$240Alaska Airlines
Wed, Jan 14 - Wed, Jan 21
United Airlines Logo
12:45 pm - 3:35 pm
ORD
-
SFO
4h 50mnonstop
United Airlines Logo
10:35 am - 4:57 pm
SFO
-
ORD
4h 22mnonstop
$241United Airlines
Thu, Jan 15 - Mon, Jan 26
Frontier Logo
2:30 pm - 8:47 pm
ORD
-
SFO
8h 17m1 stop
Frontier Logo
8:18 pm - 1:58 pm
SFO
-
ORD
15h 40m2 stops
$242Frontier
Sun, Feb 8 - Thu, Feb 19
Multiple Airlines Logo
3:35 pm - 9:58 pm
ORD
-
SFO
8h 23m1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
10:48 am - 9:03 pm
SFO
-
ORD
8h 15m1 stop
$243Multiple Airlines
Thu, Jan 15 - Thu, Jan 22
Frontier Logo
10:41 pm - 6:37 pm
ORD
-
SJC
21h 56m1 stop
Frontier Logo
12:34 pm - 8:29 pm
SJC
-
ORD
29h 55m1 stop
$256Frontier
Wed, Jan 14 - Fri, Feb 27
Hawaiian Airlines Logo
9:00 am - 6:45 pm
ORD
-
SJC
11h 45m1 stop
Hawaiian Airlines Logo
8:05 pm - 11:59 pm
SJC
-
ORD
25h 54m1 stop
$258Hawaiian Airlines
Thu, Jan 8 - Mon, Jan 12
Hawaiian Airlines Logo
3:35 pm - 4:23 pm
ORD
-
OAK
26h 48m1 stop
Hawaiian Airlines Logo
5:17 pm - 5:10 pm
OAK
-
ORD
21h 53m1 stop
$263Hawaiian 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 $251 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 $251.

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 $444, 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 November and December, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $420 and $394 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 1% 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 $379 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 $506.

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 11475 reviews
8.1Boarding
7.8Comfort
8.5Crew
7.0Entertainment
7.1Food
Airline reviews

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.

8.0 ExcellentAnonymous, Dec 2025
JFK - SFO
Read more Alaska Airlines reviews

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

Poor, the last leg of our trip was cancelled and we didn't know about it until we arrived at the airport. Another flight on the same airline was not available until three days later which would have ruined our vacation. Luckily we were able to get re-blooked on another airline after spending hours at the airport.

I wish you would have just canceled the Saturday flight from sea to rdd on Dec 13. the diversion cost me more time and money than if I had just rebooked to Sacramento. It was a huge headache and cost.

I liked that I made it onto the flight rather than “missing” the connection. We left PDX early in the morning along with half of Portland arriving at about the same time as we did- 2 hours prior to our flight leaving. The layover was for less than an hour and we were concerned that we would not make the connection, but as it turns out, the flight leaving LAX was even more delayed in departure due to needing some maintenance repair for the a/c of the plane. As for the food- it seems not so very nice that you are not feeding people and offering complementary alcohol on the international flights any more.

I was standing in line to use the restroom. A First Class passenger wanted to use the restroom after me, but Jaques made me wait on Flight 3418 from BOI to SJC on December 12, 2025. I felt this was inappropriate and rude.

The flight was fine. The connecting flight was a nightmare. Gate change without text or email notification was super frustrating and I ended up missing my connecting flight. Return flight was delayed and had I not quadruple checked flight time, gate and refreshed the Alaska Airlines app every 5 minutes, I would have taken a flight that would not arrive in time for my connecting flight. Ended up flying Delta home.

The flight was delayed so we didn’t get into San Diego until almost 1 AM. Otherwise, it was lovely.

1. Denial of Basic Needs (SEA): Upon arrival in Seattle, the wheelchair attendant refused my urgent request to use the restroom, insisting on scanning documents first. She eventually took me to a restroom but then abandoned me and my autistic son at an unstaffed, deserted gate for over four hours. When I called the accommodation line for help, I was told to "get someone's attention," which was impossible. My son, traumatized by the prospect of me yelling for help, was forced to wander the terminal to find assistance. 2. Revocation of Accommodations & Threats: At the gate, an agent stated I had no accommodations on file, despite my previous leg having them. When I showed the app (where my bulkhead seat was erased and replaced with Row 14), he denied the evidence. When I attempted to advocate for my immobilized leg, he threatened to "yank me from the flight" if I said one more word. He coerced me into agreeing that I was "asking for accommodations for the first time" before he would allow assistance, effectively forcing me to falsify the situation under duress. I complied only out of fear of being stranded in a strange city. 3. On-Board Negligence and Injury: Because my bulkhead seat was revoked, I was forced into Row 14. With my leg immobilized and unable to bend, it extended into the aisle. During boarding and the flight: 16 different passengers tripped over my injured leg. 6 rolled luggage bags were pulled over my injured leg. The Flight Attendant (FA) was one of the people who tripped and drove luggage over me. I reported the issue to the FA after 10 trips and 3 luggage impacts. He ignored me. He only addressed me later to ask me to move my immobilized leg for beverage service. I informed him again: "16 people have tripped, 6 luggage runovers, I cannot bend it." He provided no medical aid and no incident report. 4. Resolution and Trauma: Eventually, a different employee noticed my distress and my original paper boarding pass showing the correct bulkhead assignment. He asked me to move up. I broke down in tears, terrified that moving would cause the gate agent to remove me from the plane as threatened. We were eventually moved to the bulkhead, but the damage was done. My autistic son was traumatized by watching his mother be trampled and threatened. 5. Post-Flight: I called to report these injuries, but was disconnected after a 45-minute hold. I require a formal record of this injury and these violations.

The food selections were not good, and entertainment was non existent.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

There was no one at the counter to assist with our check in. The app didn’t work, so I arrived at the airport with time to check in and I couldn’t because no employees were there. When I finally got someone on the phone, it was inside the 60min rule and they said I could no longer check in and they could sell me another ticket. We had to scramble and pay an additional $800 for tickets and THEN AFTER (about 60 min from my original convo with customer service and 10min after original departure time) I had boarded my new flight, there was email saying my original flight from Frontier was delayed and leaving 2hr 50min later, but I STILL wouldn’t have been able to check in. Which means customer service should have been able to see it and let me check in because I was well within my check in time. When I call Frontier, they hang up on me. So their app didn’t work and they employees left and they take zero responsibility or assistance with their “customer service”

Terrible. Flight cancelled with no reasoning and no flights to rebook. Employees were useless and did nothing to help. Did not even know where to retrieve luggage from the cancelled flight. Flyers beware.

No fault of Frontier staff: plane was very late, reached Orlando at 1 am, took a while to get luggage. Weather, gov financial shutdown impact on TSA, air controllers seemed to have multiple flights backed up. Frontier staff seemed to cope as gracefully as possible. It did reassure me that I and my new hip could adapt to travel challenges. Food/entertainment were irrelevant to my trip.

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

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

Information on your arrival and departure airports