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.
Look up a route, or build a trip
Change the airports, or add stops for a multi-leg trip.
What actually flies ORD–SAN
Filed traffic dataIn May 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 38% of departures; flights ran 77% full.
Departures
723
May 2026
Seats
129,461
both directions
Passengers
99,505
both directions
Load factor
76.9%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies ORD–SAN?
United Airlines operated the most nonstop ORD–SAN departures in May 2026 (297), one of 3 carriers on the route.
- UA
297 departures · 55,512 seats
Share of departures41.1%80.5%
Load
- AA
267 departures · 46,788 seats
Share of departures36.9%78.3%
Load
- AS
159 departures · 27,161 seats
Share of departures22.0%67.1%
Load
What plane flies ORD–SAN?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737-800 flew 38% of ORD–SAN departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737-800
273 departures · 77.1% load
37.8% - Airbus A321neo
134 departures · 83.8% load
18.5% - Boeing 737-900ER
117 departures · 74.3% load
16.2% - Boeing 737 MAX 9
79 departures · 67.7% load
10.9% - Airbus A321
46 departures · 79.3% load
6.4% - Boeing 757-200
37 departures · 78.8% load
5.1% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
37 departures · 69.4% load
5.1%
How has ORD–SAN traffic changed?
Nonstop ORD–SAN departures rose from 628 in June 2025 to 723 in May 2026.
Monthly nonstop ORD–SAN traffic, trailing 12 months through May 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
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
May 2026
723 departures · 99,505 passengers
76.9%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
ORD → SAN
77.2% full
364 departures · 50,438 passengers
SAN → ORD
76.5% full
359 departures · 49,067 passengers
Nonstop ORD–SAN 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 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 May 2026, the Boeing 737-800 flew the largest share of departures (37.8%), followed by the Airbus A321neo (18.5%).
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.
Keep exploring
Every route below is its own page.
Other routes from ORD
Popular long-haul routes