$87 Find Cheap Flights from Houston to Chicago - Compare and Save

Among airlines operating Houston to Chicago flights:

• Frontier: offers free seat selection
• United Airlines: offers extra legroom; offers free seat selection
• American Airlines: offers extra legroom; offers free seat selection
• Southwest: offers free seat selection

Extra legroom and free seat selection availability depends on fare class and route.

4 airlines operate flights between Houston and Chicago. The airlines offering nonstop flights on this route include:

• United Airlines
• American Airlines
• Southwest
• Frontier

Flights from Houston to Chicago may depart from several airports in Houston area, including Houston Hobby (HOU) and Houston George Bush Intcntl (IAH), with arrivals available at Chicago area airports such as Chicago Midway (MDW), Chicago O'Hare Intl (ORD) and Chicago Greater Rockford (RFD).

Here are some options for this route, based on selected ticket types and cabin classes:

• Frontier: a cabin bag and a checked bag in Economy Class
• United Airlines: a cabin bag and a checked bag in Economy Class
• American Airlines: a cabin bag and a checked bag in Economy Class

Bag allowance can vary by ticket type, cabin class, route and airline, so travelers should check the fare details before booking.

Three cabin classes are available on flights from Houston to Chicago:

• Economy Class
• Business Class
• First Class

On this route, layover flights are cheaper than nonstop options on average. Layover fares average $193 round-trip via Las Vegas Harry Reid Intl (LAS), compared to $239 for nonstop.

There is no standard. Checked-bag policies vary by airline on this route. Most carriers charge $32–$100 for the first checked bag in economy. Premium fares and elite-status bookings typically include a free checked bag.

One-stop flights from Houston to Chicago most commonly connect through:

• Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson (ATL) - 54% of one-stop connections
• Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (DTW) - 25% of one-stop connections
• Raleigh-Durham (RDU) - 7% of one-stop connections
• Chicago O'Hare Intl (ORD) - 5% of one-stop connections

Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson (ATL) handles the largest share of one-stop connections on this route.

On the Houston to Chicago route, being flexible with your departure day can save you up to 26%. Saturday is the cheapest day at $221 round-trip on average, while Monday is the most expensive at $298: a $77 difference. Cheaper weekend fares like these are typical of routes dominated by weekday business travel.

A flight is considered delayed when it departs 15 minutes or more after its scheduled time. This is the standard used by the US Department of Transportation and most airline industry reporting. On the Houston to Chicago route, 15% of flights were delayed in the past 3 months, with delays averaging 2 hours 29 minutes.

Morning is the busiest departure period on Houston to Chicago flights, with 46% of flights leaving in that window. Evening departures account for 29%, afternoon flights for 21%, and night flights for 4%.

Some of the most popular sights in Chicago are Magnificent Mile, Grant Park and River North. These are among the most viewed places in Chicago on KAYAK.

These are the earliest and latest flight times available from Houston to Chicago:

• Earliest: departs at 5:00 am and lands at 7:47 am
• Latest: departs at 11:55 pm and lands at 2:42 am.

The flight takes about 2h 47m.

Last-minute fares on this route - booked within 2 weeks of departure - run 31% above the route average of $236. Book 12 weeks before departure for the lowest fares.

A nonstop flight from Houston to Chicago takes 2h 47m, covering 941 miles.

No, a passport is not required for this domestic route, but you will need a real ID-compliant driver's license, a state ID, or another TSA-accepted form of identification.

One-way fares from Houston to Chicago are currently lower than usual. Average one-way flight prices are about $118, which is 33% below the typical average for this route.

United Airlines is slightly above the route average for timely arrivals, while American Airlines has a lower on-time arrival rate. On-time arrival rates on Houston to Chicago flights are:

• United Airlines: 92% on time
• American Airlines: 87% on time
• Frontier: 81% on time

Overall, flights on this route are on time 85% of the time on average.

Morning flights have the fewest delays on this route. Delays tend to pile up throughout the day as one late flight pushes the next, so earlier departures are usually more reliable.

Flying via Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) gives the shortest average 1-stop total travel time at 4h 58m, compared with 5h 44m via Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (DTW) and 6h 00m via Chicago O'Hare Intl (ORD).

Since Chicago is served by multiple airports, car rental options and rates can vary depending on which one you fly into.
Near Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport (ORD) — daily rates from around $17:

• Routes Car & Truck Rentals
• Europcar
• Hertz
• Dollar
• Ace

Near Chicago Midway Airport (MDW) — daily rates from around $32:

• Hertz
• Dollar
• Budget
• Alamo
• Rent-A-Wreck

Near Chicago Greater Rockford Airport (RFD) — daily rates from around $30:

• Alamo
• Enterprise Rent-A-Car
• Budget
• Avis
• National

Round-trip flights from Houston to Chicago range from $154 to $342, with an average of $236 over the past 12 months. Anything below $154 counts as a good deal.

Two airlines offer in-flight Wi-Fi on Houston to Chicago flights:

• • American Airlines
• • JetBlue