$56 Find Cheap Flights from Washington, D.C. to Illinois - Compare and Save

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Cheap Flights from Washington, D.C. to Illinois

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 5 days
Chicago
Chicagononstop$177
Moline
Moline1 stop$271
Peoria
Peoria1 stop$306
Decatur
Decatur1 stop$478
Chicago
Chicagononstop$177
Moline
Moline1 stop$271
Peoria
Peoria1 stop$306
Decatur
Decatur1 stop$478
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for Washington, D.C. to Illinois flights

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

How much is a round-trip flight from Washington, D.C. to Illinois?

Flight prices are below average for this route right now.

Flights to Illinois from Washington, D.C. usually cost between $209 and $376 in September.
The lowest price found in the past 5 days was $177 on United Airlines (Sep 23-Sep 24).

What is the cheapest Washington, D.C. to Illinois flight route?

The cheapest ticket to Illinois from Washington, D.C. found in the last 5 days was to Chicago, at $118 round-trip. The most popular route is from Washington, D.C. Reagan-National Airport (DCA) to Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport (ORD), and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 5 days was $184.

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 $433 on average. Morning departures are around 9% cheaper than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to Illinois is generally in the evening, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $513.

Can I save money by flying with a layover from Washington, D.C. to Illinois?

No, with an average price for the route of $336, prices are generally cheapest when you fly direct.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Washington, D.C. to Illinois?

The cheapest month for flights from Washington, D.C. to Illinois is October, when tickets cost $278 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are June and July, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $395 and $377 respectively.

What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly from Washington, D.C. to Illinois?

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

How far in advance should I book a flight from Washington, D.C. to Illinois?

To get a below average price on the flight from Washington, D.C. to Illinois, you should book around 4 weeks before departure, which saves you about 50% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 17 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low season

February

Cheapest flight

$56
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 3% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 26% lower on average.
Flight from Baltimore to St. Louis

FAQs - booking Illinois flights

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. to Illinois.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from Washington, D.C. to Illinois?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. to Illinois up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from Washington, D.C. to Illinois

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Washington, D.C. 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
SouthwestOverall score based on 4191 reviews
7.0Food
8.1Boarding
8.6Crew
8.0Comfort
7.5Entertainment
Airline reviews

Flight was delayed over 3 hours. Planes were dirty. Staff indifferent. And they serve vegan pretzels as snacks.

2.0 MediocreMatthew, Jun 2026
Read more Southwest reviews

Flight was delayed over 3 hours. Planes were dirty. Staff indifferent. And they serve vegan pretzels as snacks.

The flight was smooth. The Southwest experience has degraded overall, but this one was okay.

The checking experience in Orlando was terrible, almost missed the flight. Too many travelers and Southwest completely understaffed.

no service at all due to turbulence. they should've at least given us snacks, there were only 10 people on the entire flight.

For the first time in a long time, the Wi-Fi actually worked the entire flight! The flight crew was amazing as usual.

Haven’t flown on SW in years. Flight was on time departing and arriving. Served vegan butter onion flavored pretzels which were bad. Coke served was in a tiny paper cup. Crew was not engaging. Felt like they were going through the motions. Old plane, tight seats and no leg room.

No delays and arrived to destination 30 min early. Staff was super friendly.

Pretty standard flight. We left late, but arrived early. The wifi entertainment is always nice. The free snacks and beverages are simple, but appreciated. I'm tall and the seats are an issue. I can deal with a short flight, but any longer, I have to find another airline where I know beforehand I have extra legroom.

Awesome experience. No in-flight video or meal. Still do not like the boarding process.

On time, good crew, easy flight. Just like the old days!

Long delays at both DCA and MSP; Crew did not keep us informed (or very little). Airplane was showing signs of heavy use (not up to Delta standards). Food options for Business Class have dropped in quality. After landing we sat on tarmac for maybe 25 minutes with no provided chance to use the bathroom and crew did not tell us what was going on or give an estimated time to expect to be at a gate.

Flight was delayed for about an hour but overall good experience

The gentleman at the gate I think his name is RIE was exceptional

This flight was no comparison to our prior flight. I'm thinking it all has to do with the age of the aircraft.

2 of the seats in row 31 the entertainment system was not working, and one seat the tray table did not go all the way down. Flight arrived early and departed on time which was great.

Waited at the usual crowded gate at DCA where one ends up standing up because there aren't enough seats.

Delayed take-off. Very small plane so very scary with lots of bumps during the flight. Would never fly Delta on short flights in small 80 seaters plane again! Felt relieved when landed.

Inexpensive, got an exit row aisle aeat with no middle passenger, bought a great breakfast sandwich, flight comfortable & arrived ahead of schedule.

I wouldn't say I liked being forced to check my small roller bag at the gate; too many people had bags and were in a higher boarding group.

715PM departure was 2.5 hours late. Received hotel & food voucher but after we already booked a room. Entire team just seemed like they were 2-3 steps behind in execution, and notifcations.

the seat has a problem. the back had a hole.

My flight was delayed so bad i missed u it so i just said never mind

Delayed 2 hours while stuck on the aircraft. If the luggage was properly loaded the first time we probably wouldn’t have been delayed at all

The flight did not have its customary snacks during the flight. Apparently they were never loaded on the plane.

Over 5 hour delay with minimal updates or ability to standby for alternative flights. During boarding and 1 hr+ wait for takeoff, seats were drenched w water from air conditioning condensation and always leftover crumbs on carpet and seats

After arriving in Chicago, we were taxiing for 1.5 hours with infrequent and untruthful updates about the amount of time it would take to arrive at the gate. Minimally, the team could have provided timing expectations that were more truthful, especially one their original expectations were not met.

Wonderful. Quick boarding. Early departure and we arrived 30 minutes early at our destination. Unfortunately, when you arrive early, there is still a departing aircraft at our gate. We had to park for 30 minutes until the gate was clear. So our early arrival was not really early at the gate. Otherwise it was a quick and smooth flight. Appreciated the efficiency.

Better WiFi. I cannot understand that in 2025, United is so behind on a technology that is now a necessity and still painfully unreliable, slow and keeps disconnecting.

Being stick waiting for gate at ORD cause me to almost miss my connecting flight…being deaf United made no no effort to keep me updated as I couldn’t hear the PA

Almost 2 hour delay in boarding with all standing ready to board at original time. No explanation given.

the flight is delayed, which is not uncommon but the communication was still getting hopes on reaching on time which didn't happen. When I boarded the flight it was so like unimaginably filthy. My seat belt had some sticky stuff to it like food or something from before and the space below the arm rest is accumulated dust and waste like from few months i have the pictures. Cheery on top, the airhostess was an old lady who was so bossy and mad for no reason and bossing around everyone!! worst experience ever!!

Flight was good, little delayed because of busy plane traffic

Flight was delayed multiple times and rerouted to different concourses in the airport because of all of American's delays. App/boarding pass would not update with changed gate information.

Did not know that they didn’t have screens for entertainment. I didn’t have headphones so I couldn’t watch anything on my phone.

The seats were extremely cramped, with very little legroom or personal space. There was no room left in the overhead bins for a backpack, and the space under the seat in front was so limited that I could barely fit my bag underneath. Overall, the seating arrangement felt very uncomfortable and overcrowded.

Delays with no explanation. It could have been handled better.

Everything was great. Boarding, early departure, early arrival, and deplaning were smooth. Smooth flight.

The flight was scheduled to depart DCA at 12:30 pm but was delayed twice on the ground so that we were finally scheduled to depart at around 4:00 pm. Once we boarded, it was announced that takeoff would be delayed again to fix a hydraulic problem which delayed our eventual takeoff until around 5:00 pm. Once we departed, it was a smooth flight back to ORD. We did not get any explanation about what caused the original significant delay. In my experience, this happens frequently with AA.

Our second leg to Jackson WY was unable to land due to weather. We were flown back to Dallas after stopping in SLC. We were given hotel rooms and vouchers. We were told that we would be back on the same plane in the morning. Instead we were given a different flight with different seats. Not a good experience. No one knew what was going on.

Perfect flight. On time departure and early arrival. Smooth flight.

Flight was scheduled at 9:40pm. Got delayed to 10 am, the next day. crazy

The bag check, flight check-in, and onboard experience convinced my wife and me that we will actively go out of our way to avoid flying Frontier Airlines in the future. At bag check, we were informed that check-in could only be completed via the Frontier mobile app. Unfortunately, the app was extremely frustrating—sending us through repetitive, confusing loops that repeatedly forced us to decline add-on services with nearly every click. While most airline apps upsell, this one felt intentionally exhausting. As the process dragged on, we became genuinely concerned that my phone battery would die before check-in could be completed. We approached the bag check staff—who were standing together talking—and explained both our frustration and our predicament. They laughed. Later, my wife described the interaction as “gaslighting,” which felt accurate. We were then informed it would cost $25 per person simply to have our boarding passes printed. From that point forward, the tone of the experience was consistently hostile. The bag check employees were condescending and combative, behaving more like bullies than customer service staff. Unfortunately, that same attitude continued onboard. One flight attendant argued with me when I attempted to stow my backpack in the overhead bin. I explained that we had each paid $75 to check our bags specifically so we would not need to use carry-on space and could have adequate legroom. She demanded to see my ticket, pointed out that it said “no carry-on”—which I acknowledged—and I reiterated that this was precisely why we paid to check our bags. Her response was, “I don’t make the rules.” She then walked away, but not before asking if I “truly wanted to fly back to Chicago today?”—an unnecessary and unmistakable threat. It is also worth noting that despite booking our tickets together in the same transaction, we were not seated together. Upon our return to Chicago—where we could once again sit together—we compared onboard experiences. We both remarked on how unhappy the flight attendants appeared and how each of us was separately asked whether we would like to purchase a beverage. We declined. At no point was water mentioned as an option, leaving us with the clear impression that even water came at a cost—or that complimentary water, if available at all, was deliberately left unmentioned. Overall, the experience was shocking and deeply disappointing, but it was also a profound learning experience—one we will not forget and will not repeat. -Steve

More inflight connection. And leg space is horrible. And the paying for baggage I'd ridiculous!!!

Frontier Airlines was AWFUL. I was an hour early for my flight and the lady refused to check me in. I had to purchase a whole new ticket with a different airline.

I missed a flight because of a delay. I had to buy a new ticket through Southwest.

Bag should not be so much money. This is how Frontier takes advantage of customers

Frontier is definitely a good option for people traveling light or on a budget - just remember to bring your own entertainment and your own headphones if you need them.

Never offer anything to drink ☹️ Flight delayed gate moved poor communication

It’s a cheap airline. I wish they had better seats.

Seats are cramped and very uncomfortable. You have to pay for everything and it is too expensive.

Everything you need to know for your flight from Washington, D.C. to Illinois

Cabin class types available on flights to Illinois