Houston (IAH) to Chicago (ORD)
Flight time
≈ 2h 39m
Bearing
25° NE
Houston (IAH) to Chicago (ORD) is 926 miles (1,491 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
Look up a route, or build a trip
Change the airports, or add stops for a multi-leg trip.
What actually flies IAH–ORD
Filed traffic dataIn July 2026, United Airlines operated the most departures, one of 5 carriers flying nonstop IAH–ORD; the Airbus A321neo was the most common aircraft at 36% of departures; flights ran 87% full.
Departures
1,070
July 2026
Seats
189,678
both directions
Passengers
164,490
both directions
Load factor
86.7%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies IAH–ORD?
United Airlines operated the most nonstop IAH–ORD departures in July 2026 (728), one of 5 carriers on the route.
- UA
728 departures · 137,358 seats
Share of departures68.0%87.0%
Load
- AA
237 departures · 35,748 seats
Share of departures22.1%84.4%
Load
- F9
53 departures · 12,620 seats
Share of departures5.0%90.3%
Load
- YX
52 departures · 3,952 seats
Share of departures4.9%88.4%
Load
- NK
0 departures · 0 seats
Share of departures0.0%—
Load
What plane flies IAH–ORD?
In July 2026, the Airbus A321neo flew 36% of IAH–ORD departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Airbus A321neo
381 departures · 87.2% load
35.6% - Boeing 737 MAX 9
200 departures · 87.9% load
18.7% - Boeing 737-900ER
186 departures · 86.1% load
17.4% - Boeing 737-800
118 departures · 84.4% load
11.0% - Airbus A319
114 departures · 85.1% load
10.7% - Embraer E175
52 departures · 88.4% load
4.9% - Airbus A321
10 departures · 94.2% load
0.9% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
9 departures · 81.1% load
0.8%
How has IAH–ORD traffic changed?
Nonstop IAH–ORD departures rose from 1,048 in August 2025 to 1,070 in July 2026.
Monthly nonstop IAH–ORD traffic, trailing 12 months through July 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
August 2025
1,048 departures · 146,606 passengers
85.5%
Load
September 2025
1,068 departures · 143,007 passengers
81.2%
Load
October 2025
1,036 departures · 146,828 passengers
83.1%
Load
November 2025
910 departures · 123,684 passengers
79.6%
Load
December 2025
1,019 departures · 145,664 passengers
82.3%
Load
January 2026
927 departures · 121,089 passengers
76.6%
Load
February 2026
870 departures · 117,335 passengers
77.7%
Load
March 2026
987 departures · 145,289 passengers
82.6%
Load
April 2026
1,023 departures · 139,401 passengers
79.7%
Load
May 2026
1,078 departures · 157,453 passengers
85.0%
Load
June 2026
1,030 departures · 160,212 passengers
87.4%
Load
July 2026
1,070 departures · 164,490 passengers
86.7%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
ORD → IAH
87.2% full
538 departures · 83,720 passengers
IAH → ORD
86.2% full
532 departures · 80,770 passengers
Nonstop IAH–ORD traffic has been filed since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through July 2026; filings from 2025. Public domain (US Government work).
The airports
Frequently asked
How far is Houston (IAH) from Chicago (ORD)?
IAH to ORD is 926 miles (1,491 km / 805 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from IAH to ORD?
A nonstop covers the 926-mile great-circle distance in roughly 2h 39m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies IAH–ORD?
In July 2026, the Airbus A321neo flew the largest share of departures (35.6%), followed by the Boeing 737 MAX 9 (18.7%).
What mileage do I earn flying IAH–ORD?
Distance-based programs credit off the 926-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
Keep exploring
Every route below is its own page.
Other routes from ORD
Popular long-haul routes