Chicago (ORD) to San Francisco (SFO)
Flight time
≈ 4h 29m
Bearing
272° W
Chicago (ORD) to San Francisco (SFO) is 1,842 miles (2,964 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–SFO
Filed traffic dataIn July 2026, United Airlines operated the most departures, one of 2 carriers flying nonstop ORD–SFO; the Boeing 757-300 was the most common aircraft at 27% of departures; flights ran 90% full.
Departures
1,029
July 2026
Seats
217,467
both directions
Passengers
196,011
both directions
Load factor
90.1%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies ORD–SFO?
United Airlines operated the most nonstop ORD–SFO departures in July 2026 (671), one of 2 carriers on the route.
- UA
671 departures · 152,751 seats
Share of departures65.2%89.8%
Load
- AA
358 departures · 64,716 seats
Share of departures34.8%90.9%
Load
What plane flies ORD–SFO?
In July 2026, the Boeing 757-300 flew 27% of ORD–SFO departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 757-300
277 departures · 90.0% load
26.9% - Airbus A321neo
270 departures · 91.3% load
26.2% - Boeing 737-800
163 departures · 90.3% load
15.8% - Airbus A321
158 departures · 91.3% load
15.3% - Boeing 777-200
61 departures · 86.5% load
5.9% - Boeing 737-900ER
51 departures · 93.2% load
5.0% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
18 departures · 84.2% load
1.8% - Boeing 737 MAX 9
15 departures · 90.2% load
1.5% - Boeing 787-9
11 departures · 80.1% load
1.1% - Boeing 777-300ER
3 departures · 88.9% load
0.3% - Boeing 757-200
2 departures · 94.3% load
0.2%
How has ORD–SFO traffic changed?
Nonstop ORD–SFO departures rose from 1,021 in August 2025 to 1,029 in July 2026.
Monthly nonstop ORD–SFO traffic, trailing 12 months through July 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
August 2025
1,021 departures · 195,958 passengers
92.3%
Load
September 2025
979 departures · 171,094 passengers
85.7%
Load
October 2025
1,048 departures · 180,849 passengers
85.8%
Load
November 2025
806 departures · 136,994 passengers
85.8%
Load
December 2025
781 departures · 145,576 passengers
89.2%
Load
January 2026
656 departures · 114,130 passengers
88.4%
Load
February 2026
713 departures · 113,723 passengers
81.5%
Load
March 2026
894 departures · 151,539 passengers
88.4%
Load
April 2026
1,025 departures · 166,418 passengers
83.0%
Load
May 2026
1,116 departures · 197,109 passengers
84.3%
Load
June 2026
1,046 departures · 207,168 passengers
91.1%
Load
July 2026
1,029 departures · 196,011 passengers
90.1%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
SFO → ORD
89.1% full
515 departures · 97,695 passengers
ORD → SFO
91.2% full
514 departures · 98,316 passengers
Nonstop ORD–SFO 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 Chicago (ORD) from San Francisco (SFO)?
ORD to SFO is 1,842 miles (2,964 km / 1,600 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from ORD to SFO?
A nonstop covers the 1,842-mile great-circle distance in roughly 4h 29m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies ORD–SFO?
In July 2026, the Boeing 757-300 flew the largest share of departures (26.9%), followed by the Airbus A321neo (26.2%).
What mileage do I earn flying ORD–SFO?
Distance-based programs credit off the 1,842-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
Other routes from SFO
Popular long-haul routes