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Flights Chicago → San Jose

MDW → SJC

4h 6m
Flight time (est.)
18.1
Average risk (Medium)
64%
On-time
20 min
Average delay
1.7%
Cancellations
1
Airlines

How long is the flight from Chicago to San Jose?

The flight from Chicago (MDW) to San Jose (SJC) takes about 4h 6m. This is an estimate based on the distance between the two airports: the real time depends on the aircraft, wind and any stops.

Route overview

The flight route from Chicago to San Jose operates with a relatively high level of punctuality, achieving on-time performance for 73% of its flights. With an average delay of 16.6 minutes and a total of 127 flights recorded, this route serves the busy destination airport in San Jose, which handles over eleven million passengers annually.

Your rights on this US flight (DOT)

US flights have no statutory cash compensation for delays. Under the US DOT rules, if your flight is cancelled or significantly changed and you decline rebooking, you're owed an automatic refund of the unused ticket. The tarmac-delay limit is 3 hours (domestic) / 4 hours (international). Amenities for controllable delays depend on each airline's contract of carriage.

US flight refund rules & checker →

General information, not legal advice.

The Chicago (MDW) → San Jose (SJC) route is operated by Southwest Airlines. Across 347 flights monitored in recent months, 64% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 20 minutes. The cancellation rate is 1.73%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 18.1/100 (medium), updated in real time from weather, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel and flight history. At San Jose the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes (main cause: atfm). Departing from Chicago the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes.

Heading to San Jose: what to expect in this direction

Flying from Chicago (MDW) to San Jose (SJC) heads west for about 2,950 km, a flight time of roughly 4h 6m.

Departures from Chicago on this leg cluster in the overnight window: about 47% of MDW-SJC flights take off then.

Air-traffic congestion: departing Chicago the average ATFM delay is 5.5 min (atfm); arriving into San Jose it is 5.5 min (atfm).

Across 347 tracked MDW-SJC flights, 64% left on time with an average delay of 20 min and a 1.7% cancellation rate.

Route facts

Time difference
2h behind
Arrival (dest. local time)
09:06
Elevation SJC
62 ft
Est. CO₂/passenger
~295 kg

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Airline punctuality on this route

Airline On-time Average delay Cancellations
Southwest Airlines (WN) 75% 5 min 0.3%

Airlines operating MDW-SJC

Frequently asked questions about MDW-SJC

The flight from Chicago (MDW) to San Jose (SJC) takes about 4h 6m. This is an estimate based on the distance between the two airports: the real time depends on the aircraft, wind and any stops.

On the Chicago (MDW) -> San Jose (SJC) route, on-time performance is 64% with an average delay of 20 minutes, based on 347 tracked flights.

The cancellation rate on Chicago-San Jose is 1.73% across 347 monitored flights.

The route is operated by 1 airline: Southwest Airlines.

Enter your flight number on FlightGuard for a real-time analysis based on 9 factors: weather at San Jose, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel, airline punctuality and recent trends.

US flights have no statutory cash compensation for delays. Under US DOT rules, if the airline cancels or significantly changes your flight and you decline rebooking, you're owed an automatic refund of the unused ticket. The tarmac-delay limit is 3 hours (domestic) / 4 hours (international). Meals or hotels for controllable delays depend on each airline's contract of carriage.