$95 Find Cheap Flights from Orange County to Illinois

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Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight$95
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 3% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 6% lower on average.
Flight from John Wayne (Santa Ana) to St. Louis

FAQs for booking flights from Orange County to Illinois

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from Orange County to Illinois?

    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 Orange County to Illinois.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from Orange County to Illinois?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from Orange County to Illinois 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 Orange County to Illinois?

    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 Orange County to Illinois 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 Orange County to Illinois?

    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 Orange County to Illinois up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

  • Which airlines fly most frequently to Illinois?

    Air Canada connects Orange County to Illinois with 65 flights per week. Air New Zealand also offers 65 flights per week, while Virgin Australia follows with 64 flights per week.

  • How many airports are there in Illinois?

    There are 12 airports in Illinois. The busiest airport is Chicago O'Hare Airport (ORD), with 90% of all flights arriving there.

  • Which is the cheapest airport to fly into in Illinois?

    Prices will differ depending on the departure airport, but generally, the cheapest airport to fly to in Illinois is Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport (ORD), with an average flight price of $334.

  • What is the cheapest day to fly to Illinois?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to Illinois is Wednesday where round-trip tickets can be as cheap as $402. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Sunday, where round-trip prices are $555 on average.

  • What is the cheapest time of day to fly to Illinois?

    The cheapest time of day to fly to Illinois is generally in the evening, when round-trip flights cost $380 on average. Morning departures are around 19% more expensive than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to Illinois is generally in the morning, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $454.

  • What is the cheapest flight to Illinois?

    The cheapest ticket to Illinois from Orange County found in the last 72 hours was to Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport, at $269 round-trip. The most popular route is Santa Ana (SNA) to Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport (ORD) and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $269.

  • What is the cheapest month to fly from Orange County to Illinois?

    The cheapest month for flights from Orange County to Illinois is August, when tickets cost $359 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are March and January, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $463 and $459 respectively.

  • How far in advance should I book a flight from Orange County to Illinois?

    To get a below average price on the flight from Orange County to Illinois, you should book around 3 weeks before departure, which saves you about 33% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 24 weeks before departure.

  • How many cities have direct flights to Illinois?

    From Orange County, there are direct flights to Illinois from 1 city. This city is Los Angeles and there are 692 direct flights each week.

  • How many direct flights to Illinois are there each day?

    There are around 99 direct flights from within Orange County to Illinois every day. Most flights (52%) depart in the morning.

  • How many direct flights to Illinois are there each week?

    Each week there are around 692 direct flights from within Orange County to Illinois. The most common day for departures is Sunday, with 17% of flights taking off on this day.

  • How long is the flight to Illinois?

    An average nonstop flight from Orange County to Illinois takes 9h 12m, covering a distance of 1648 miles. The shortest route is Long Beach (LGB) to Chicago Midway Airport (MDW) with an average flight time of 3h 45m.

  • How many long-haul flights are there to Illinois each week?

    Each week, there are 662 medium-haul flights (3-6 hour flight duration) and 30 short-haul flights (up to 3 hour flight duration) to Illinois. There aren't any long-haul flights (6-12 hour flight duration).

  • What are the most popular destinations in Illinois?

    Based on KAYAK flight searches, the most popular destination is Chicago (93% of total searches to Illinois). The next most popular destinations are St. Louis (4%) and Peoria (1%). Searches for flights to Moline (1%), to Paducah (0%) and to Bloomington (0%) are also popular.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from Orange County to Illinois

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Orange County to Illinois? 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 11923 reviews
7.1Food
8.5Crew
8.1Boarding
7.0Entertainment
7.8Comfort
Airline reviews

I bought tickets MONTHS ago for a flight that left SAN at 14:30. That is what it says on our tickets. I was never notified of any time changes. During online check-in. I discovered the flight time had been changed to 15:45. This was unacceptable and had I been notified, I would have changed flights, or airlines. That departure time was unworkable with our plans. We called Alaska and asked for an explanation. They said flight time was changed 11/08/25. No proof of notification could be offered. We asked to be moved to an earlier flight. After much pleading, the rep said she would allow a “one time exception..” While I appreciate being moved, this was YOUR fault Alaska Airlines.

2.0 MediocreLinda, Feb 2026
SAN - SMF
Read more Alaska Airlines reviews

I bought tickets MONTHS ago for a flight that left SAN at 14:30. That is what it says on our tickets. I was never notified of any time changes. During online check-in. I discovered the flight time had been changed to 15:45. This was unacceptable and had I been notified, I would have changed flights, or airlines. That departure time was unworkable with our plans. We called Alaska and asked for an explanation. They said flight time was changed 11/08/25. No proof of notification could be offered. We asked to be moved to an earlier flight. After much pleading, the rep said she would allow a “one time exception..” While I appreciate being moved, this was YOUR fault Alaska Airlines.

SBP to PDX 2/17/2026. One person ahead of us at the counter. One ahead of is at TSA. First to board. First row, first class. First to be served. Food and service very good. First off the aircraft. Flight was nice other than some moderately hard bumps on climb out (please find a way to control that!). Air Force landing (none of that Navy slam you to the deck stuff). Wheel chair at the bottom of the ramp waiting for my wife. Luggage out quickly, walked right up to the parking shuttle bus. First stop on the bus. I like the EMB 175 aircraft. This was as close to a perfect flight as I will ever see. Bravo!

Santa Rosa Airport is the best! Glad to have experienced it.

I love Alaska! We arrived on the later side without seat assignments only to find the had oversold the flight by 1. The attendants worked extra hard to find a way for our party of 7 to stay together and we made it on the flight! Loved the free WiFi also!

The plane not having any overhead bin space was inconvenient. Anytime my luggage has to be checked it ends up covered in scratches and that’s not covered by the airlines for replacement/repair. The WiFi did not work or was not offered for the flight from Seattle to Vancouver.

Delay for switching planes. Then delay after delay (mechanical) after boarding so that we were almost 3 hrs late, getting in at 230am. Crew was good.

The room for legs is adequate for a 6’ tall man and the flight was comfortable. The cabin is clean and the crew is very friendly and pleasant.

The he whole flight was very smooth on every aspects.

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.

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

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

The seats are now more narrow. I paid for front row the seats in the front are even more narrow than before.

The wifi on the plane is great. The only issue that I have is that I prefer an aisle seat and on my trips this week, I was either in the middle or window. If we can work to secure aisle seating, I will be thrilled. Nice trip.

All good except once again bags took an hour at Midway Airport Happens all the time. Ridiculous

Great flight but super high price. Glad it was a business trip and not personal

The seats were comfortable, and the boarding process was pretty smooth.

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

We got exit row seats both flights. Everything was running on time

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.

Crew was great (professional, attentive, prompt). Snacks for 4 hrs flight is deplorable.

United Airlines is my preferred airlines and I am thankful for Gary who also help support me on the phone to switch my flight literally last min.

Seated dude next to me even though lots of empty rows. But main thing was we sat on the tarmac after landing for 30 minutes because of, in the words of the dude who sat next to me, “operational incompetence”. We got changing directions about where to pick up gate checked bags. Pilot and flight attendant were awesome though.

It was a pretty standard flight... until the almost hour and a half spent on the taxi way. I get that the weather has been poor but the delay had nothing to do with the weather and more to do with a plane with several issues tying up the gate. I get that that happens from time to time but this has been EVERY flight I've been on for the past 5 years and I fly 3 to 5 times a year. This isn't just United... it's American, it's Delta. It's an issue with the entire industry. I work for UPS and packages on a cargo plane get better service than people do these days. Anymore I HATE flying.

Perfect flight. Smooth flight. Arrived 20 minutes early at destination. Excellent service.

The flights were on time which was great give. It was holiday travel season and there’d been some weather issues. The only complaint and this is every time with United is the terrible seat design. The head rest is not built for comfort and having my neck bent forward for a cross country trip reminded me while I try not to take United flights as a rule.

Everything was absolutely wonderful from check in to baggage claim. Staff was very professional and sweet. Will definitely recommend United to family and friends.

They did the one thing that really matters - got to Chicago early.

The flight was on time. I generally don’t drink or eat on short flights and the seats were good and the flight attendants were friendly. That’s all I expect

It was nice to have gotten up upgraded to first class with a meal on a three hour flight

The gate agent had a really bad attitude and refused to help me get on the standby list. She just handed me a card and said I needed to call a number. I asked her to help with the AA app on my phone and she just shrugged and said she didnt know. After a few phone calls, I eventually just went to a different gate agent on the other side of the terminal and got the help I needed.

Overall, my last three trips on American Airlines have all been either delayed or "rescheduled" due to mechanical issues. At least on delay caused me to miss two possible connecting flights each later than the first. My last option for my last connection required the assistance of the onsite service desk (O'Hare Airport). The wait time for the service desk was such that it jeopardized getting booked on the last connecting flight available for the night. Suffice it to say, my latest experiences with American Airlines have caused me extensive loss of productive business and personal time and can therefore be classified as significantly less than satisfactory.

Waiting for gate in RDU for more than 20mins is crazy.

American Airlines was great and worked very hard to change my ticket so I could get an earlier, direct flight back to Dallas. However, I was informed that Kayak made mistakes with my itinerary and classified my ticket as desiring to be on the earlier flight instead of taking the necessary step of calling AA to get me on the standby list. This ended up keeping me from being added to the standby list and delayed me getting home by 6 hours. I am happy to discuss this further with Kayak so they can correct their procedures so this won't happen again.

Waited for oxygen tanks for 30 minutes after boarding was complete.

We flew in first class. The crew did not offer drinks before the flight took off, but they treated us well during the flight. The food was excellent. There was actually too much food served, but it was nice to have all the options.

Update to handle the delay was very bad, crews no smiles or welcome or thanks. Don’t care attitude

Pilot navigated severe weather/snow storm with skill. Described his intentions clearly

Little warm on the plane and delayed for an hour

So excited very proud first of all I wanna thank kayak all updates very professional and fast alart And amazing cabin crew so nice to me they deserve big salute

The flight was delayed for unknown reasons while other airlines weren’t. It was very frustrating.

They cancelled the flight due to crew unavailability. The next day they cancelled the flight again.

Everything was good. On time, boarding fast, flight attendants friendly.

Spirit has always and will always stink. Absolute worst airline around.

Not seat assigned because overbooking. We could go because some people decided to give their seats.

The flights were very uncomfortable the seats don't have much leg room at all and they are pretty hard as well.

spirit delayed my first flight 9 hours and then cancelled my flight back home. Very disappointed with their service.

Late taking off. ATC sent us circling around Chicago for almost an hour, after landing taxied for 40 minutes.

I waited for 4+ extra hours to even board when i was fighting off a cold. So i was sitting there in the airport with a fever and chills while spirit wasted my time. Then once on the plane we had at least an extra hour of taxiing before and after takeoff. Really poor airline, no amenities to speak of, and a lack of organization that will just ruin your experience.

Terrible. They cancelled the flight at the last minute after I had checked in at the airport and then told me they could only put me on a flight after 7 days. Pathetic.

Everything you need to know for your flight to Illinois

Cabin class types available on flights to Orange County

Cabin classes available on flights to Orange County. Prices are the lowest found on KAYAK over the last 7 days. Price and availability is not guaranteed.