Flight time from San Francisco to Chicago

How long is the flight from San Francisco to Chicago?

A non-stop flight from San Francisco to Chicago takes about 4 hours and 10 minutes. The two cities are 2,964 km (1,842 miles) apart in a straight line, measured between San Francisco International (SFO) and O’Hare (ORD).

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 – heading east with the jet stream, flights are often a little quicker than this. Check your booking for the exact time.

Time difference and arrival time

Chicago is 2 hours ahead of San Francisco right now. A flight leaving San Francisco at 10:00 local time lands at about 16:10 local time in Chicago. The shift is small, so jet lag is unlikely to be a problem.

Current time in San Francisco · Current time in Chicago · Flight time from Chicago to San Francisco

More flights from San Francisco

• San Francisco to Los Angeles 1h 15m
• San Francisco to Vancouver 2h 10m
• San Francisco to Mexico City 4h 15m
• San Francisco to Toronto 4h 55m
• San Francisco to Cancún 5h 15m
• San Francisco to New York 5h 35m
• San Francisco to Singapore 16h 55m
• San Francisco to Kuala Lumpur 17h
• San Francisco to Jakarta 17h 25m
• San Francisco to Nairobi 19h 10m

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 Phuket 17h 55m
• Chicago to Sydney 18h 30m
• Chicago to Kuala Lumpur 18h 35m
• Chicago to Singapore 18h 45m

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.