Flights Chicago → San Diego
ORD → SAN
How long is the flight from Chicago to San Diego?
The flight from Chicago (ORD) to San Diego (SAN) takes 3h 51m on average. That is the median time recorded across 4 scheduled flights on this leg; the actual time varies by a few minutes with wind, routing and take-off queues.
Route overview
The flight route from Chicago to San Diego operates with a mix of aircraft including Boeing 737 variants and Airbus A320 models, serving the highly trafficked San Diego International Airport which opened in 1928 and handles over 22 million passengers annually. With a total of 908 flights recorded, this route has a 73% on-time performance rate and an average delay time of 17.2 minutes per flight.
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 (ORD) → San Diego (SAN) route is operated by American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, United Airlines. Across 2372 flights monitored in recent months, 72% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 19 minutes. The cancellation rate is 1.85%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 22.1/100 (medium), updated in real time from weather, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel and flight history. At San Diego 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 Diego: what to expect in this direction
Flying from Chicago (ORD) to San Diego (SAN) heads west for about 2,768 km, a flight time of roughly 3h 51m.
Departures from Chicago on this leg cluster in the overnight window: about 37% of ORD-SAN flights take off then.
Air-traffic congestion: departing Chicago the average ATFM delay is 5.5 min (atfm); arriving into San Diego it is 5.5 min (atfm).
Across 2,372 tracked ORD-SAN flights, 72% left on time with an average delay of 19 min and a 1.9% cancellation rate.
Route facts
Flights on this route
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Airline punctuality on this route
| Airline | On-time | Average delay | Cancellations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines (AS) | 85% | -1 min | 0.5% |
| United Airlines (UA) | 83% | 5 min | 1.3% |
| American Airlines (AA) | 79% | 6 min | 1.1% |
Airlines operating ORD-SAN
Airports
Frequently asked questions about ORD-SAN
The flight from Chicago (ORD) to San Diego (SAN) takes 3h 51m on average. That is the median time recorded across 4 scheduled flights on this leg; the actual time varies by a few minutes with wind, routing and take-off queues.
On the Chicago (ORD) -> San Diego (SAN) route, on-time performance is 72% with an average delay of 19 minutes, based on 2372 tracked flights.
The cancellation rate on Chicago-San Diego is 1.85% across 2372 monitored flights.
The route is operated by 3 airlines: American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, United Airlines.
Enter your flight number on FlightGuard for a real-time analysis based on 9 factors: weather at San Diego, 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.
