Denver (DEN) to Chicago (ORD)
Flight time
≈ 2h 34m
Bearing
75° E
Denver (DEN) to Chicago (ORD) is 886 miles (1,426 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies DEN–ORD
Filed traffic dataIn May 2026, United Airlines operated the most departures, one of 5 carriers flying nonstop DEN–ORD; the Airbus A321neo was the most common aircraft at 47% of departures; flights ran 81% full.
Departures
1,169
May 2026
Seats
215,818
both directions
Passengers
175,038
both directions
Load factor
81.1%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies DEN–ORD?
United Airlines operated the most nonstop DEN–ORD departures in May 2026 (741), one of 5 carriers on the route.
- UA
741 departures · 145,076 seats
Share of departures63.4%80.7%
Load
- AA
309 departures · 46,988 seats
Share of departures26.4%79.2%
Load
- WN
62 departures · 10,812 seats
Share of departures5.3%86.2%
Load
- F9
55 departures · 12,842 seats
Share of departures4.7%88.6%
Load
- OO
2 departures · 100 seats
Share of departures0.2%0.0%
Load
What plane flies DEN–ORD?
In May 2026, the Airbus A321neo flew 47% of DEN–ORD departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Airbus A321neo
552 departures · 81.9% load
47.2% - Boeing 737-800
190 departures · 73.9% load
16.3% - Airbus A319
139 departures · 90.3% load
11.9% - Boeing 737-900ER
133 departures · 76.1% load
11.4% - Boeing 737 MAX 9
53 departures · 86.0% load
4.5% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
43 departures · 85.4% load
3.7% - Boeing 757-300
27 departures · 78.5% load
2.3% - Airbus A321
25 departures · 89.7% load
2.1% - Airbus A320neo
2 departures · 85.2% load
0.2% - Airbus A320
2 departures · 73.7% load
0.2% - Bombardier CRJ-200
2 departures · 0.0% load
0.2% - Boeing 737-700
1 departures · 94.9% load
0.1%
How has DEN–ORD traffic changed?
Nonstop DEN–ORD departures rose from 1,139 in June 2025 to 1,169 in May 2026.
Monthly nonstop DEN–ORD traffic, trailing 12 months through May 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
June 2025
1,139 departures · 190,004 passengers
88.0%
Load
July 2025
1,151 departures · 201,064 passengers
88.9%
Load
August 2025
1,189 departures · 207,274 passengers
87.3%
Load
September 2025
1,215 departures · 206,344 passengers
84.6%
Load
October 2025
1,250 departures · 203,348 passengers
83.4%
Load
November 2025
832 departures · 135,779 passengers
82.1%
Load
December 2025
843 departures · 140,516 passengers
86.6%
Load
January 2026
799 departures · 123,192 passengers
83.0%
Load
February 2026
884 departures · 126,384 passengers
79.8%
Load
March 2026
964 departures · 153,257 passengers
85.3%
Load
April 2026
973 departures · 143,652 passengers
80.8%
Load
May 2026
1,169 departures · 175,038 passengers
81.1%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
ORD → DEN
81.6% full
587 departures · 87,883 passengers
DEN → ORD
80.6% full
582 departures · 87,155 passengers
Nonstop DEN–ORD traffic has been filed since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through May 2026; filings from 2025. Public domain (US Government work).
The airports
Frequently asked
How far is Denver (DEN) from Chicago (ORD)?
DEN to ORD is 886 miles (1,426 km / 770 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from DEN to ORD?
A nonstop covers the 886-mile great-circle distance in roughly 2h 34m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies DEN–ORD?
In May 2026, the Airbus A321neo flew the largest share of departures (47.2%), followed by the Boeing 737-800 (16.3%).
What mileage do I earn flying DEN–ORD?
Distance-based programs credit off the 886-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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