Chicago (ORD) to Sacramento (SMF)
Flight time
≈ 4h 21m
Bearing
274° W
Chicago (ORD) to Sacramento (SMF) is 1,777 miles (2,860 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies ORD–SMF
Filed traffic dataIn May 2026, United Airlines operated the most departures, one of 2 carriers flying nonstop ORD–SMF; the Boeing 737-800 was the most common aircraft at 40% of departures; flights ran 85% full.
Departures
301
May 2026
Seats
52,856
both directions
Passengers
44,695
both directions
Load factor
84.6%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies ORD–SMF?
United Airlines operated the most nonstop ORD–SMF departures in May 2026 (184), one of 2 carriers on the route.
- UA
184 departures · 31,994 seats
Share of departures61.1%90.4%
Load
- AA
117 departures · 20,862 seats
Share of departures38.9%75.6%
Load
What plane flies ORD–SMF?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737-800 flew 40% of ORD–SMF departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737-800
120 departures · 83.4% load
39.9% - Boeing 737-900ER
113 departures · 91.9% load
37.5% - Airbus A321
40 departures · 67.6% load
13.3% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
11 departures · 94.5% load
3.6% - Boeing 737 MAX 9
9 departures · 83.3% load
3.0% - Airbus A320
6 departures · 79.7% load
2.0% - Airbus A319
1 departures · 91.3% load
0.3% - Airbus A321neo
1 departures · 37.4% load
0.3%
How has ORD–SMF traffic changed?
Nonstop ORD–SMF departures rose from 239 in June 2025 to 301 in May 2026.
Monthly nonstop ORD–SMF traffic, trailing 12 months through May 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
June 2025
239 departures · 37,104 passengers
87.9%
Load
July 2025
244 departures · 35,676 passengers
85.3%
Load
August 2025
241 departures · 32,961 passengers
78.8%
Load
September 2025
233 departures · 34,045 passengers
85.8%
Load
October 2025
245 departures · 34,979 passengers
84.9%
Load
November 2025
176 departures · 25,578 passengers
84.1%
Load
December 2025
150 departures · 22,448 passengers
87.4%
Load
January 2026
134 departures · 18,600 passengers
82.8%
Load
February 2026
113 departures · 15,517 passengers
85.9%
Load
March 2026
219 departures · 30,530 passengers
80.5%
Load
April 2026
288 departures · 39,243 passengers
81.3%
Load
May 2026
301 departures · 44,695 passengers
84.6%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
SMF → ORD
86.1% full
151 departures · 22,661 passengers
ORD → SMF
83.0% full
150 departures · 22,034 passengers
Nonstop ORD–SMF 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 Sacramento (SMF)?
ORD to SMF is 1,777 miles (2,860 km / 1,544 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from ORD to SMF?
A nonstop covers the 1,777-mile great-circle distance in roughly 4h 21m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies ORD–SMF?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737-800 flew the largest share of departures (39.9%), followed by the Boeing 737-900ER (37.5%).
What mileage do I earn flying ORD–SMF?
Distance-based programs credit off the 1,777-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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