$122 Find Cheap Flights from San Francisco to Chicago - Compare and Save

O’Hare Airport is located within Chicago, Illinois, 17 miles northwest of the Chicago Loop. The smaller Midway International Airport is located 10 miles southwest of the center. Both airports offer easy public transport connections, so you can’t go wrong with either one.

The “L” train is an inexpensive way to get downtown from the airport. The O’Hare train station is situated on the lower level concourse of Chicago O’Hare Airport, with direct connections from Terminals 1, 2, and 3. The CTA Blue Line trains from Chicago O’Hare run 24/7, with a travel time of 40-45 minutes. If you arrive at Midway Airport, the Midway train station is a short walk east of the airport. Orange Line train services run from early in the morning until 1 am. It takes 20-25 minutes to travel by train to the downtown loop.

Getting around Chicago O’Hare Airport is easy using the Airport Transit System (ATS), which operates 24 hours a day along a 2.5-mile-long track. This service connects all four terminals, various parking facilities, the Kiss ‘N’ Fly drop off point, and the PACE bus stop. The ATS service is free and takes nine minutes to complete a round trip.

The Hilton Chicago O’Hare Airport Hotel is only a short walk from the airport’s domestic terminals. Amenities include a fitness center, restaurants, conference rooms, and a barber shop. If you need to freshen up after your flight, travelers can use the showers at the hotel’s health club for a small cost.

Start an early vacation at any of the numerous lounges at San Francisco Airport. Head to the Centurion Lounge at Gate 74 of Terminal 3 whereas Concourse A of International Terminal is home to the Air France-KLM Lounge. Pay at the door or buy a lounge permit to access their amenities such as showers and drinks. You may also access the USO lounge on the Mezzanine Level of Terminal 1 if you are an active US military member as well as your family. Amenities offered at this lounge include drinks, games, toys, as well as books.

There are several parking options at SFO ranging from hourly and daily parking to short and long-term parking. The Domestic Garage in the heart of SFO offers short-term parking whereas in the front of the International Terminal there is hourly and daily parking at the International Parking garages. There is an off-site long-term parking at 801 South Airport Boulevard.

Are you taking your children with you? ORD airport provides travelers with kid-friendly services to ensure a wonderful travel experience. Encourage your children to point out flags they identify or count them out at Terminal 3's Grand Hall of Flags, which represents countries served directly by American Airlines from O'Hare. Furthermore, Terminal 2 houses the Kids on the Fly exhibit, where children may play an aviation inspector or explore the helicopter simulator.

Yes. The airport has accessible parking spots in each of its parking structures in addition to the bathrooms that are wheelchair-accessible and are situated in Gates A9 and A4A of Concourse A and Gate B15 of Concourse B. Passengers with hearing impairments have access to TTY telephones. At drop-off and pick-up sites, the airport also offers curb ramps and elevators. Shuttles with elevators are provided for free between the terminals and the parking lots.

Among airlines operating San Francisco to Chicago flights:

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

3 airlines operate flights between San Francisco and Chicago. The airlines offering nonstop flights on this route include:

• United Airlines
• American Airlines
• Southwest

Flights from San Francisco to Chicago usually depart from San Francisco (SFO) and may arrive at several airports in Chicago area, including 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:

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

Four cabin classes are available on flights from San Francisco to Chicago:

• Economy Class
• Premium Economy Class
• Business Class
• First Class

Prices vary by airline.

On this route, layover flights are cheaper than nonstop options on average. Layover fares average $263 round-trip via Denver Intl (DEN), compared to $419 for nonstop.

There is no standard. Checked-bag policies vary by airline on this route. Most carriers charge $40–$100 for the first checked bag in economy. Premium fares and elite-status bookings typically include a free checked bag.

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

• Denver Intl (DEN) - 21% of one-stop connections
• San Diego (SAN) - 17% of one-stop connections
• Las Vegas Harry Reid Intl (LAS) - 15% of one-stop connections
• Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson (ATL) - 13% of one-stop connections

Denver Intl (DEN) handles the largest share of one-stop connections on this route.

Yes. Being flexible with your travel dates can save you up to 23% on the San Francisco to Chicago route. Wednesday is the cheapest departure day at $375 round-trip on average, while Sunday is the most expensive at $482, a difference of $107. KAYAK's flexible dates feature shows options up to 3 days before and after your selected dates, making it easier to compare nearby fares.

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 San Francisco to Chicago route, 10% of flights were delayed in the past 3 months, with delays averaging 2 hours 42 minutes.

Morning is the busiest departure period on San Francisco to Chicago flights, with 41% of flights leaving in that window. Afternoon departures account for 28%, night flights for 22%, and evening flights for 9%.

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 San Francisco to Chicago:

• Earliest: departs at 12:10 am and lands at 4:37 am
• Latest: departs at 11:44 pm and lands at 4:11 am.

The flight takes about 4h 27m.

Last-minute fares on this route - booked within 2 weeks of departure - run 42% above the route average of $411. Book 6 weeks before departure for the lowest fares.

A nonstop flight from San Francisco to Chicago takes 4h 27m, covering 1,855 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.

Yes. Based on fares seen in the past 5 days, round-trip prices on this route showed a wide range, from about $251 to $2,369. That means the highest observed fare was about 9x higher than the lowest one.

One-way fares from San Francisco to Chicago are currently lower than usual. Average one-way flight prices are about $126, which is 50% 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 San Francisco to Chicago flights are:

• United Airlines: 91% on time
• American Airlines: 89% on time
• Alaska Airlines: 73% on time

Overall, flights on this route are on time 90% 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 Salt Lake City (SLC) gives the shortest average 1-stop total travel time at 6h 29m, compared with 6h 48m via Chicago O'Hare Intl (ORD) and 6h 54m via Kansas City (MCI).

Chicago is 2 hours ahead of San Francisco (Central Time vs Pacific Time). Plan for the time shift when scheduling connections or first-day activities.

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 San Francisco to Chicago range from $323 to $536, with an average of $411 over the past 12 months. Anything below $323 counts as a good deal.

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

• • American Airlines
• • JetBlue