Houston (IAH) to Chicago (ORD)

926mi
1,491 km805 nm

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.

Route map: IAH → ORDIAHORD

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What actually flies IAH–ORD

Filed traffic data

In May 2026, United Airlines operated the most departures, one of 7 carriers flying nonstop IAH–ORD; the Airbus A321neo was the most common aircraft at 48% of departures; flights ran 85% full.

Departures

1,078

May 2026

Seats

185,160

both directions

Passengers

157,453

both directions

Load factor

85.0%

RPM ÷ ASM

Who flies IAH–ORD?

United Airlines operated the most nonstop IAH–ORD departures in May 2026 (704), one of 7 carriers on the route.

  • UA

    United Airlines

    704 departures · 135,831 seats

    84.6%

    Load

  • AA

    American Airlines

    131 departures · 20,640 seats

    81.7%

    Load

  • YX

    Republic Airways

    96 departures · 7,296 seats

    92.4%

    Load

  • MQ

    Envoy Air

    78 departures · 5,928 seats

    89.2%

    Load

  • F9

    Frontier Airlines

    62 departures · 14,740 seats

    91.4%

    Load

  • OO

    SkyWest Airlines

    5 departures · 296 seats

    0.0%

    Load

  • NK

    Spirit Airlines

    2 departures · 429 seats

    49.4%

    Load

What plane flies IAH–ORD?

In May 2026, the Airbus A321neo flew 48% of IAH–ORD departures — more than any other aircraft type.

How has IAH–ORD traffic changed?

Nonstop IAH–ORD departures rose from 1,003 in June 2025 to 1,078 in May 2026.

Monthly nonstop IAH–ORD traffic, trailing 12 months through May 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.

  • June 2025

    1,003 departures · 147,071 passengers

    87.9%

    Load

  • July 2025

    1,007 departures · 149,625 passengers

    88.8%

    Load

  • 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

By direction

Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.

ORD → IAH

83.3% full

541 departures · 77,434 passengers

IAH → ORD

86.8% full

537 departures · 80,019 passengers

Nonstop IAH–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

IAH

Houston

US

George Bush Intercontinental Airport

Coordinates

29.98°N, 95.34°W

Hemisphere

N · W

ORD

Chicago

US

Chicago O'Hare International Airport

Coordinates

41.98°N, 87.90°W

Hemisphere

N · W

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 May 2026, the Airbus A321neo flew the largest share of departures (48.0%), followed by the Embraer E175 (16.3%).

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.

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