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.
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What actually flies ORD–SFO
Filed traffic dataIn May 2026, United Airlines operated the most departures, one of 2 carriers flying nonstop ORD–SFO; the Airbus A321neo was the most common aircraft at 31% of departures; flights ran 84% full.
Departures
1,116
May 2026
Seats
233,815
both directions
Passengers
197,109
both directions
Load factor
84.3%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies ORD–SFO?
United Airlines operated the most nonstop ORD–SFO departures in May 2026 (740), one of 2 carriers on the route.
- UA
740 departures · 168,315 seats
Share of departures66.3%83.7%
Load
- AA
376 departures · 65,500 seats
Share of departures33.7%85.7%
Load
What plane flies ORD–SFO?
In May 2026, the Airbus A321neo flew 31% of ORD–SFO departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Airbus A321neo
346 departures · 84.2% load
31.0% - Boeing 737-800
264 departures · 85.3% load
23.7% - Boeing 757-300
200 departures · 84.9% load
17.9% - Boeing 777-200
78 departures · 82.0% load
7.0% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
70 departures · 85.5% load
6.3% - Boeing 737 MAX 9
38 departures · 81.5% load
3.4% - Boeing 787-8
32 departures · 88.1% load
2.9% - Boeing 737-900ER
31 departures · 89.9% load
2.8% - Airbus A321
30 departures · 85.8% load
2.7% - Boeing 757-200
12 departures · 83.0% load
1.1% - Boeing 787-10
8 departures · 66.5% load
0.7% - Airbus A320
2 departures · 99.3% load
0.2% - Boeing 777-300ER
2 departures · 97.9% load
0.2% - Boeing 787-9
2 departures · 29.8% load
0.2% - Airbus A319
1 departures · 39.7% load
0.1%
How has ORD–SFO traffic changed?
Nonstop ORD–SFO departures rose from 1,007 in June 2025 to 1,116 in May 2026.
Monthly nonstop ORD–SFO traffic, trailing 12 months through May 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
June 2025
1,007 departures · 195,708 passengers
93.6%
Load
July 2025
1,043 departures · 204,576 passengers
93.0%
Load
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
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
ORD → SFO
85.9% full
559 departures · 100,281 passengers
SFO → ORD
82.7% full
557 departures · 96,828 passengers
Nonstop ORD–SFO 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 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 May 2026, the Airbus A321neo flew the largest share of departures (31.0%), followed by the Boeing 737-800 (23.7%).
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.
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