Flight time from Chicago to Kuala Lumpur

How long is the flight from Chicago to Kuala Lumpur?

A non-stop flight from Chicago to Kuala Lumpur takes about 18 hours and 35 minutes. The two cities are 14,949 km (9,289 miles) apart in a straight line, measured between O’Hare (ORD) and KLIA (KUL).

This is a long-haul route. If there is no direct flight on your dates, a connection through a hub usually adds 2–6 hours to the journey.

The estimate assumes an average speed of about 830 km/h plus around 35 minutes for taxiing, take-off and landing. Real schedules vary with the airline, aircraft, route and winds. Check your booking for the exact time.

Time difference and arrival time

Kuala Lumpur is 14 hours ahead of Chicago right now. A flight leaving Chicago at 10:00 local time lands at about 18:35 local time in Kuala Lumpur the next day. With a 14h shift, expect some jet lag: as a rough guide the body adjusts by about an hour a day, and flying east (as on this trip) is usually harder than the other way.

Current time in Chicago · Current time in Kuala Lumpur · Flight time from Kuala Lumpur to Chicago

More flights from Chicago

• Chicago to Toronto 1h 25m
• Chicago to New York 2h
• Chicago to Miami 2h 55m
• Chicago to Cancún 3h 25m
• Chicago to Mexico City 3h 50m
• Chicago to Los Angeles 4h
• Chicago to Johannesburg 17h 30m
• Chicago to Phuket 17h 55m
• Chicago to Sydney 18h 30m
• Chicago to Singapore 18h 45m

More flights from Kuala Lumpur

• Kuala Lumpur to Singapore 55m
• Kuala Lumpur to Phuket 1h 25m
• Kuala Lumpur to Phnom Penh 1h 50m
• Kuala Lumpur to Ho Chi Minh City 1h 50m
• Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta 1h 55m
• Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok 2h 5m
• Kuala Lumpur to San Francisco 17h
• Kuala Lumpur to Los Angeles 17h 40m
• Kuala Lumpur to Toronto 18h 30m
• Kuala Lumpur to New York 18h 50m

Why arrival times look strange

Airline schedules always show local times: departure in the departure city’s time and arrival in the arrival city’s time. Fly east and you “lose” hours – a 7-hour flight from New York to London leaving at 19:00 lands at 07:00 the next morning. Fly west and you gain them, which is how you can land in Los Angeles almost at the same clock time you left Tokyo. This calculator handles the time zones and daylight saving time for you.

How the flight time estimate works

In estimate mode the calculator measures the great-circle distance between the two cities – the shortest route over the Earth’s surface – and assumes an average speed of about 830 km/h (515 mph), plus around 35 minutes for taxiing, take-off and landing. That gives a good guide for a non-stop flight. Real schedules vary with the airline, aircraft, winds and route: flights heading east with the jet stream are often quicker than the same trip heading west, so always check your booking for the exact time.