$38 Find Cheap Flights from San Francisco to Illinois

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from San Francisco to Illinois departing on 8/10. 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

KAYAK searches hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to Illinois

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from San Francisco to Illinois.
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from San Francisco to Illinois.
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Flights Deals

Best Illinois Flight Deals from San Francisco

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours
Chicago
Chicago1 stop$94
Moline
Moline1 stop$288
Peoria
Peoria1 stop$289
Bloomington
Bloomington1 stop$379
Champaign
Champaign1 stop$378
Springfield
Springfield1 stop$436
Decatur
Decatur1 stop$374
St. Louis
St. Louis1 stop$183
Chicago
Chicago1 stop$94
Moline
Moline1 stop$288
Peoria
Peoria1 stop$289
Bloomington
Bloomington1 stop$379
Champaign
Champaign1 stop$378
Springfield
Springfield1 stop$436
Decatur
Decatur1 stop$374
St. Louis
St. Louis1 stop$183

Cheap Flights from San Francisco to Illinois

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from San Francisco to Illinois 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 San Francisco to Illinois

Thu, Sep 4 - Mon, Sep 8
Frontier Logo
2:07 pm - 10:55 pmSFO-ORD
6h 48m1 stop
Frontier Logo
10:25 am - 9:21 pmORD-SFO
12h 56m1 stop
$94Frontier
Find Deal
Thu, Sep 25 - Sun, Sep 28
Frontier Logo
2:07 pm - 10:55 pmSFO-ORD
6h 48m1 stop
Frontier Logo
12:43 pm - 9:24 pmORD-SFO
10h 41m1 stop
$104Frontier
Find Deal
Sat, Aug 23 - Sun, Aug 31
American Airlines Logo
6:10 am - 12:30 pmSFO-ORD
4h 20mnonstop
American Airlines Logo
6:45 am - 9:15 amORD-SFO
4h 30mnonstop
$189American Airlines
Find Deal
Wed, Sep 3 - Wed, Sep 10
Southwest Logo
10:45 am - 4:55 pmSFO-MDW
4h 10mnonstop
Southwest Logo
3:50 pm - 6:25 pmMDW-SFO
4h 35mnonstop
$197Southwest
Find Deal
Tue, Aug 12 - Sat, Aug 16
Southwest Logo
12:45 pm - 11:00 pmSFO-MDW
8h 15m1 stop
Southwest Logo
8:10 am - 10:45 amMDW-SFO
4h 35mnonstop
$207Southwest
Find Deal
Tue, Sep 30 - Wed, Oct 8
American Airlines Logo
12:47 am - 1:31 pmSFO-STL
10h 44m1 stop
American Airlines Logo
8:42 am - 5:59 pmSTL-SFO
11h 17m1 stop
$277American Airlines
Find Deal
Wed, Aug 20 - Wed, Aug 27
United Airlines Logo
11:59 pm - 10:13 amSFO-PIA
8h 14m1 stop
United Airlines Logo
6:55 am - 11:32 amPIA-SFO
6h 37m1 stop
$289United Airlines
Find Deal
Tue, Aug 19 - Tue, Aug 26
Delta Logo
11:35 am - 10:48 pmSFO-MLI
9h 13m1 stop
Delta Logo
6:00 am - 11:45 amMLI-SFO
7h 45m1 stop
$289Delta
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Tue, Aug 19 - Wed, Aug 27
Delta Logo
11:35 am - 10:48 pmSFO-MLI
9h 13m1 stop
Delta Logo
4:59 pm - 10:49 pmMLI-SFO
7h 50m1 stop
$324Delta
Find Deal
Sun, Aug 10 - Sat, Aug 23
United Airlines Logo
11:25 pm - 8:48 amSFO-DEC
7h 23m1 stop
United Airlines Logo
9:42 am - 3:30 pmDEC-SFO
7h 48m1 stop
$374United Airlines
Find Deal
Useful Info

KAYAK's insights & trends for San Francisco to Illinois flights

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from San Francisco to Illinois to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

What is the cheapest San Francisco to Illinois flight route?

The cheapest price for flight routes found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks for round-trip flights from San Francisco to Illinois.

The cheapest ticket to Illinois from San Francisco found in the last 72 hours was to Chicago, at $206 round-trip. The most popular route is from San Francisco (SFO) to Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport (ORD), and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $206.

Can I save money by flying with a layover from San Francisco to Illinois?

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.

Yes, flying with a layover may cost you more time, but you can also save money on the route, with a 2 stops layover the cheapest option at $550 on average.

What is the cheapest month to fly from San Francisco to Illinois?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from San Francisco to Illinois, 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 San Francisco to Illinois is February, when tickets cost $286 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and June, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $436 and $357 respectively.

What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly from San Francisco to Illinois?

The average price of all round-trip flights from San Francisco to Illinois clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.

If your flying dates are flexible, you should consider flying to Illinois on a Wednesday, as we generally find the cheapest rates on that day for this route. On the other hand, Sunday is the most expensive day to fly from San Francisco to Illinois. For your return ticket, we recommend flying on a Thursday and avoiding Sundays for the best deals.

How far in advance should I book a flight from San Francisco to Illinois?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights from San Francisco to Illinois, 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 San Francisco to Illinois, you should book around 4 weeks before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 17 weeks before departure.


Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
High seasonJuly
Cheapest flight$38
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 10% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 3% increase in price.
Flight from San Francisco to Chicago O'Hare Airport

FAQs - booking Illinois flights

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from San Francisco 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 San Francisco to Illinois.

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

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

    The cheapest time of day to fly to Illinois is generally at night, when round-trip flights cost $422 on average. Morning departures are around 5% more expensive than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to Illinois is generally in the afternoon, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $486.

Top tips for finding cheap flights to Illinois

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found tickets from San Francisco to the following destinations at these prices or less: Chicago $149 one-way - $293 round-trip

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from San Francisco to Illinois

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from San Francisco to Illinois. 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 San Francisco 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 10000 reviews
8.1Boarding
7.1Entertainment
7.8Comfort
7.1Food
8.5Crew
Airline reviews

Big delay of over 7 hours on next leg of trip with Alaska. Would have been nice to have food or something

10.0 ExcellentAnonymous, Jun 2025SFO - SAN
Read more Alaska Airlines reviews

Big delay of over 7 hours on next leg of trip with Alaska. Would have been nice to have food or something

We were late so that was what was worst part

Flying on Hawaiian Airlines was good. But, getting a boarding pass was a hassle. I booked what I thought was an Alaska Airlines flight that was actually a Hawaiian Airlines flight. I couldn't check in online. I had to wait for the Hawaiian Airlines counter to open so I could get my boarding pass which was a requirement for me to get in The Club or the Centurion Lounge. (I had no check in luggage so I didn't expect to have to physically check in.) The Alaska Airlines staff blamed the FAA for the problem.

Great, overall. Thicker seat cushion would be nice. My butt hurt the whole flight.

Thicker seat cushion would be nice. My butt hurt the whole flight.

All good! No entertainment on this new plane yet but ok for this short flight. Great on time flight! Thanks

No non-alcoholic drinks available except water and small apple juice cans.

The flight was delayed over two and a half hours thus causing me to miss my best friend’s funeral. All because the flight crew had to get more rest. That was the reason stated. I understand however very unfortunate. Glad everyone is well rested and resting in peace.

All good except both the outbound and return flights were delayed about 1 1/2 hrs.

Not great. My flight was canceled due to a mechanical problem and I could not get rebooked for the same day. I needed to get to my destination yesterday, not today. I was able to book with another airline but it was a layover and ultimately a 1 hour flight took me 12 hours. Normally I like Alaska much more than Southwest, but Southwest came through with a not terrible price for same day.

Delayed flight. Nicest crew member was a SW pilot flying seated next to me who kindly move to seat the final passenger. Flight extra delayed. My cup of refreshment of ginger ale was so packed with ice it was literally 2 sips.

No trays in our seats, we sat in first row, purchased a business class fare. Had to hold our drinks and snack in our hands. No plugs for our cell phones. Had to pay for it a drink cocktail each. Seats so uncomfortable.

Flight wasn’t even full, but too many carry-ons caused us to run out of bin space. New bag fee has folks who would usually check their bags carrying on. Watching Southwest morph into Spirit/Frontier is so sad to watch

Everything was on time. I was disappointed by the front section female, African American flight attendant. I did not see her name tag or would have identified by name not race. As passengers moved to the bathroom early in flight, she would say with a disdainful tone “I have to say the seat belt light is on” then go back to her book. Better trained flight attendants say something like be careful the seat belt light is on.

Southwest is Southwest. No frills. If you're luck enough to get a happy crew (we did), then it makes for a nicer flight.

It was a perfect flight in all aspects! Both legs!

Great flight, 47 passengers on a 180 seat plane. Stewardess was pleasant and cheerful.

I liked the crew member who gave flight instructions on "in case of a problem:. The seats are so small that only a young teenager could sit in middle seat.

Great flight staff. Ease of boarding. Overall, very uneventful and easy trip.

Flight was awfully bumpy and landing was a bit jolting. I was in the restroom when snacks and drinks were served and was not asked if i wanted any. I had to ask for water finally.

Horrific. They missed my connecting flight to San Diego. I didn’t get there until Monday at 9am when I had a mandatory court settlement conference scheduled at 6am since we had parties on the east coast. This caused many issues. All because United apparently forgot to hold the doors open until my flight landed that only had a 10 minute delay. This was the last flight to Southern California. So I couldn’t even rent a car to finish the trip. United cannot be trusted when traveling on specific days and times since weather didn’t have anything to do with the delays.

Very comfortable (upgraded to business class). The audio on my screen didn’t work, but I managed to play the audio through my phone while watching the screen.

Flight was late as pilot crew had to land at different airport in their previous flight. Passengers boarded and had to wait for pilots inside plane. Series of incomplete and unnecessary announcements by an annoying voice, rather than complete, informative announcements.

Breakfast was not loaded at SFO due to catering company change. Seems like a major airline at a major hub would have thought of something else or warned passengers to pick up food before boarding a 3 hour flight.

Boarding seemed to be organized bedlam. For what ever reason, preboarding took longer than 20 minutes. Made the plane 20 minutes late taking off. Luckily we arrived on time. Flight crew seemed very friendly. Only slight turbulence.

They hired a new catering company the same day of my flight. They botched the job by not delivering the right carts and after THREE HOURS waiting, the flight crew timed out (flight was 19 hours long and FAA rules state crew can’t work more than 14 hours long). So they CANCELED OUR FLIGHT!! Worst experience ever. Avoid UAL at all costs.

The personnel were professional and friendly. The Boeing 737 Max 9 is too claustrophobic and was very warm at both airport gates, and still warm in the air.

While the staff was pleasant and helpful, the following observations are for your awareness. There was some delay on the tarmac on take off and landing. The paid lunch/food offerings were limited. Entertainment was only available on WiFi at a cost.

get E+, a must for 5 hours flight if you are tall

Liked fold flat bed. Didn’t like having no window. Didn’t like poor choice of food and being served dinner very late, hours after take off of a 7:40pm flight. Servers not friendly. Food horrible in business class.

The flight was fine and the crew awesome. The problem is ORD and AA. Computers went down, ORD fell apart and a 40 min flight turned into a 3 hour trip. Guess the answer is to not try and fly to ORD after noon. But, as I said, crew was awesome and did everything they could to lesson the flight time.

The flight was fine but the 8 hour delay in Chicago was awful - 5 gate changes and repeated delays without an explanation. No vouchers. Nothing.

Most miserable flight ever. We waited almost 2 hours on the runway because the flight was oversold. American offered $1200 credit. Then there was some nonsense about weight distribution. Ridiculous. No food for 8 plus hours on the flight. I will be writing a letter.

The flight was 2 hour delayed, otherwise everything was excellent. The delay was due to the hourly limit requirement so given that as a reason, I'm happy with the flight!

Not sure the logic of the boarding in Groups. I was loaded first on the aisle. Then the guy in the middle. Then the guy by the window. Constantly holding up the other people boarding behind them with us blocking the aisle and this happened in most of the other rows

British Airways staff are very polite and willing to help.

To start, I’d like to say that every American Airline personnel I interacted with on the ground, especially flight crew, was very friendly and did their best to help me out. Despite this, however, my experience with the airline was an entire mess. The 7:19 PM flight was heavily delayed due to weather, and pushed to 10:30 AM the next morning. Because of this, I had to spend the night inside of the airport. At some point later in the night, I got an email saying that the flight had been canceled. I called the support number, and the representative on the other line told me that the flight was still on and that I didn’t need to rebook. The next morning, no one came to the gate to open the door for the crew until almost 11 AM. By this time the flight crew had been waiting for over an hour, and they had called management to get someone to open the door for them multiple times. Around 11:30, the gate screen had changed to a different flight. I ended up buying a last minute ticket with Southwest airline just to get to Chicago, because the next flight with American wasn’t until 7:19 pm that day. Now, earlier that morning my suitcase had been sent ahead of me to ORD. I went to baggage claim to ask them if I could have my suitcase forwarded to where I was staying. The representative at SDF baggage claim said they could and put the claim in for me. As I was going back through TSA, I got an email that the airline had found my suitcase, but the next step was to send it BACK to SDF. I called the airline support number again, and I made it clear that my suitcase needed to stay in Chicago and to not come back to SDF. The representative told me that they would hold my suitcase at ORD and that it wasn’t going to be forwarded anywhere. Once I got there, I found that they had loaded my suitcase onto a plane to send it back to SDF. Thankfully, I had gotten to the baggage claim counter in time for them to put in a request to bring my suitcase back up. My refund with the airline is processing already, but because of this entire experience and miscommunication at every turn of the way, I will not book with American Airlines in the future.

The plane was late and then sat on the runway for almost 45 minutes before taking off.

We kept being told that the flight was full and that all overhead compartments were full and therefore had to check in our hand luggage. We were some of the last people to board and noticed that there was still sufficient space in the overhead compartments. We were obliged to check in hand luggage when there was space and so had to wait at luggage retrieval which took a while to then noticed damage to our luggage - not a great experience!

Crew professional. Easy bag drop off. On time. Good entertainment.

Cancelled flight after I arrived at airport after 75 min drive and parking. Next flight was 4 days in the future. Had to scramble and buy a much more expensive flight on another carrier.

I liked the turn-style feature at gate 209B at LAX. Very efficient process. The gate staff also made several, clearly directed announcements so I felt very informed.

The crew was delayed because they came on another flight that was delayed due to weather 10pm flight left at 1.30 am The airline made no effort to align alternate crew

The seats were awful, hard plastic covered in sheet vinyl. The airline tries to scam you into paying extra to get seat together when the flight wasn’t full. They were going to separate a family with young children but my wife who had a row to herself gave up her seat so the young mom could be with her young boys. I’m never giving this airline my money again.

It was a short flight so no food or entertainment….

Frontier had yet another flight cancellation. Have never made a complete round trip with this airline without at least one leg getting cancelled. Miserable flights - dirty, uncomfortable planes that apparently always have issues since I've had multiple delays and cancellations with them.

Flight was delayed 3 times, would have been nice to have received text message instead of email notifications. Frontier app wasn’t even updated accordingly, no gate number disclosed. No agent at front desk of gate to inform of delay. Very confused and left if the dark

The flight itself was ok and the pilot was very communicative. However, our flight was delayed for almost 3 hours, the gate was changed 3 times and there was no communication as we were waiting. The flight staff was overall a little crabby...I understand as they probably had a long day but we all did.

They changed the timing , first delayed by 4 hours then went back to 40 mins late, we had to run back to airport to not miss our flight. This is ridiculous

No frills for sure. No gate announcements about flight delay, not even water to drink on the flight.

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