San Francisco (SFO) to Chicago O'Hare (ORD) is 1,842 miles in a straight line, about 4h 11m gate to gate. Your flight is handed between 9 air traffic control facilities along the way.
Who handles your flight
Every airliner is passed from one air traffic control facility to the next. On the most direct path, these are the teams that guide you, in order. Weather and traffic can send a flight through other centers, so your actual flight may differ a little.
- SFOTowerSan Francisco Tower (SFO)Clears you for takeoffThank them →
- NCTTRACONNorthern California TRACON (NCT)Guides the climb outThank them →
- ZOACenterOakland ARTCC (ZOA)Takes over at cruising altitudeThank them →
- ZLCCenterSalt Lake City ARTCC (ZLC)Keeps you separated en routeThank them →
- ZDVCenterDenver ARTCC (ZDV)Keeps you separated en routeThank them →
- ZMPCenterMinneapolis ARTCC (ZMP)Keeps you separated en routeThank them →
- ZAUCenterChicago ARTCC (ZAU)Starts your descentThank them →
- C90TRACONChicago TRACON (C90)Lines you up for the approachThank them →
- ORDTowerChicago O'Hare Tower (ORD)Clears you to landThank them →
Flying the other way
Chicago O'Hare (ORD) to San Francisco (SFO)
ORD → C90 → ZAU → ZMP → ZDV → ZLC → ZOA → NCT → SFO
About the airports
San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco, CA
Codes: SFO · KSFO
Time zone: Pacific
Control tower: San Francisco Tower (SFO)
Chicago O'Hare International Airport
Chicago, IL
Codes: ORD · KORD
Time zone: Central
Control tower: Chicago O'Hare Tower (ORD)
More routes
- San Francisco (SFO) to Atlanta (ATL)
- San Francisco (SFO) to Dallas–Fort Worth (DFW)
- San Francisco (SFO) to Denver (DEN)
- San Francisco (SFO) to Los Angeles (LAX)
- San Francisco (SFO) to New York JFK (JFK)
- San Francisco (SFO) to Las Vegas (LAS)
- San Francisco (SFO) to Orlando (MCO)
- San Francisco (SFO) to Miami (MIA)
- San Francisco (SFO) to Charlotte (CLT)
- San Francisco (SFO) to Seattle (SEA)
- San Francisco (SFO) to Phoenix (PHX)
- San Francisco (SFO) to Newark (EWR)
- Houston (IAH) to San Francisco (SFO)
- Boston (BOS) to San Francisco (SFO)
- Fort Lauderdale (FLL) to San Francisco (SFO)
- Minneapolis (MSP) to San Francisco (SFO)
How we figure this out
Distance is the great-circle distance between the two airports, the shortest path over the curved Earth. Flight time assumes an average airliner speed of about 500 mph plus about 30 minutes for taxi, takeoff and landing. The list of facilities follows the same path, using each airport's tower and approach control and the FAA's en route center boundaries.
Say thanks to the controllers who got you there. It's free, takes 30 seconds, and every post is checked before it goes up.
Common questions
How long is the flight from San Francisco (SFO) to Chicago O'Hare (ORD)?
About 4h 11m gate to gate for the 1,842-mile trip. Flying east, you often pick up a tailwind, so it can be a little shorter.
How far is San Francisco (SFO) from Chicago O'Hare (ORD)?
1,842 miles (1,600 nautical miles, 2,964 km) in a straight line. The path your flight actually takes is usually a little longer.
Which air traffic controllers handle a flight from San Francisco (SFO) to Chicago O'Hare (ORD)?
Usually 9 facilities: San Francisco Tower (SFO), Northern California TRACON (NCT), Oakland ARTCC (ZOA), Salt Lake City ARTCC (ZLC), Denver ARTCC (ZDV), Minneapolis ARTCC (ZMP), Chicago ARTCC (ZAU), Chicago TRACON (C90) and Chicago O'Hare Tower (ORD). You can thank each one on its own wall at Thank ATC.
Is there a time change between San Francisco (SFO) and Chicago O'Hare (ORD)?
Yes. Chicago O'Hare (ORD) is 2 hours ahead of San Francisco (SFO).