Chicago (ORD) to San Diego (SAN)
Flight time
≈ 4h 14m
Bearing
258° W
Chicago (ORD) to San Diego (SAN) is 1,720 miles (2,768 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies ORD–SAN
US DOT T-100 · filed dataIn April 2026, United Airlines operated the most departures, one of 3 carriers flying nonstop ORD–SAN; the Boeing 737-800 was the most common aircraft at 43% of departures; flights ran 81% full.
Departures
659
April 2026
Seats
118,625
both directions
Passengers
96,324
both directions
Load factor
81.2%
passengers ÷ seats
Who flies ORD–SAN?
United Airlines operated the most nonstop ORD–SAN departures in April 2026 (274), one of 3 carriers on the route.
- UA
United Airlines
274 departures · 52,520 seats
Share of departures41.6%85.0%
Load
- AA
American Airlines
235 departures · 40,528 seats
Share of departures35.7%84.5%
Load
- AS
Alaska Airlines
150 departures · 25,577 seats
Share of departures22.8%68.1%
Load
What plane flies ORD–SAN?
In April 2026, the Boeing 737-800 flew 43% of ORD–SAN departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737-800
281 departures · 81.1% load
42.6% - Airbus A321neo
175 departures · 85.1% load
26.6% - Boeing 737-900ER
95 departures · 77.7% load
14.4% - Boeing 737 MAX 9
72 departures · 72.9% load
10.9% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
28 departures · 85.2% load
4.3% - Airbus A321
6 departures · 93.9% load
0.9% - Boeing 757-200
2 departures · 77.8% load
0.3%
How has ORD–SAN traffic changed?
Nonstop ORD–SAN departures rose from 552 in May 2025 to 659 in April 2026.
Monthly nonstop ORD–SAN traffic, trailing 12 months through April 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
May 2025
552 departures · 77,556 passengers
77.1%
Load
June 2025
628 departures · 94,955 passengers
84.0%
Load
July 2025
661 departures · 102,574 passengers
86.9%
Load
August 2025
630 departures · 96,676 passengers
85.4%
Load
September 2025
539 departures · 80,666 passengers
83.8%
Load
October 2025
706 departures · 100,026 passengers
79.6%
Load
November 2025
611 departures · 84,711 passengers
75.6%
Load
December 2025
603 departures · 86,838 passengers
78.8%
Load
January 2026
485 departures · 69,072 passengers
77.9%
Load
February 2026
483 departures · 72,791 passengers
82.9%
Load
March 2026
636 departures · 98,727 passengers
85.7%
Load
April 2026
659 departures · 96,324 passengers
81.2%
Load
By direction
The DOT files each direction separately — they rarely match.
ORD → SAN
78.7% full
331 departures · 46,948 passengers
SAN → ORD
83.7% full
328 departures · 49,376 passengers
Nonstop ORD–SAN traffic has been filed with the US DOT since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through April 2026; filings from 2025. Public domain (US Government work). The DOT publishes roughly three months in arrears.
The airports
Frequently asked
How far is Chicago (ORD) from San Diego (SAN)?
ORD to SAN is 1,720 miles (2,768 km / 1,495 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from ORD to SAN?
A nonstop covers the 1,720-mile great-circle distance in roughly 4h 14m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies ORD–SAN?
In April 2026, the Boeing 737-800 flew the largest share of departures (42.6%), followed by the Airbus A321neo (26.6%).
What mileage do I earn flying ORD–SAN?
Distance-based programs credit off the 1,720-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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