Chicago (ORD) to San José (SJO)
Flight time
≈ 5h 15m
Bearing
173° S
Chicago (ORD) to San José (SJO) is 2,221 miles (3,575 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies ORD–SJO
Filed traffic dataIn May 2026, United Airlines was the only carrier flying nonstop ORD–SJO; the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was the most common aircraft at 100% of departures; flights ran 92% full.
Departures
9
May 2026
Seats
1,494
both directions
Passengers
1,378
both directions
Load factor
92.2%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies ORD–SJO?
United Airlines was the only carrier to fly nonstop ORD–SJO in May 2026 (9 departures).
- UA
9 departures · 1,494 seats
Share of departures100.0%92.2%
Load
What plane flies ORD–SJO?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew 100% of ORD–SJO departures.
- Boeing 737 MAX 8
9 departures · 92.2% load
100.0%
How has ORD–SJO traffic changed?
Nonstop ORD–SJO departures fell from 18 in June 2025 to 9 in May 2026.
Monthly nonstop ORD–SJO traffic, trailing 12 months through May 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
June 2025
18 departures · 2,685 passengers
89.9%
Load
July 2025
16 departures · 2,500 passengers
91.4%
Load
August 2025
12 departures · 1,634 passengers
82.0%
Load
September 2025
0 departures · 0 passengers
—
Load
October 2025
0 departures · 0 passengers
—
Load
November 2025
62 departures · 6,302 passengers
59.4%
Load
December 2025
94 departures · 12,726 passengers
78.8%
Load
January 2026
102 departures · 14,815 passengers
85.8%
Load
February 2026
95 departures · 13,782 passengers
85.6%
Load
March 2026
109 departures · 14,852 passengers
80.4%
Load
April 2026
19 departures · 2,851 passengers
88.5%
Load
May 2026
9 departures · 1,378 passengers
92.2%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
SJO → ORD
91.9% full
5 departures · 763 passengers
ORD → SJO
92.6% full
4 departures · 615 passengers
Nonstop ORD–SJO 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
San José
CR
Juan Santamaría International Airport
Coordinates
9.99°N, 84.21°W
Hemisphere
N · W
Frequently asked
How far is Chicago (ORD) from San José (SJO)?
ORD to SJO is 2,221 miles (3,575 km / 1,930 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from ORD to SJO?
A nonstop covers the 2,221-mile great-circle distance in roughly 5h 15m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies ORD–SJO?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew the largest share of departures (100.0%).
What mileage do I earn flying ORD–SJO?
Distance-based programs credit off the 2,221-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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