Flights Los Angeles → Chicago
LAX → ORD
How long is the flight from Los Angeles to Chicago?
The flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Chicago (ORD) takes 3h 34m on average. That is the median time recorded across 3 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 Los Angeles to Chicago operates with a high frequency of 1,554 flights annually and uses various aircraft models including the Boeing 737 series, Airbus A320 family, and Boeing 757 variants. With an on-time performance rate of 79%, the route experiences an average delay of 17.8 minutes per flight, serving a destination airport that handles over eighty million passengers yearly.
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 Los Angeles (LAX) → Chicago (ORD) route is operated by American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Singapore Airlines Cargo, United Airlines. Across 4253 flights monitored in recent months, 77% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 19 minutes. The cancellation rate is 2.21%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 24.3/100 (medium), updated in real time from weather, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel and flight history. At Chicago the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes (main cause: atfm). Departing from Los Angeles the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes.
Heading to Chicago: what to expect in this direction
Flying from Los Angeles (LAX) to Chicago (ORD) heads north-east for about 2,802 km, a flight time of roughly 3h 34m.
Departures from Los Angeles on this leg cluster in the overnight window: about 44% of LAX-ORD flights take off then.
Air-traffic congestion: departing Los Angeles the average ATFM delay is 5.5 min (atfm); arriving into Chicago it is 5.5 min (atfm).
Across 4,253 tracked LAX-ORD flights, 77% left on time with an average delay of 19 min and a 2.2% 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% |
| Spirit Airlines (NK) | 66% | 19 min | 3.4% |
Airlines operating LAX-ORD
Airports
Frequently asked questions about LAX-ORD
The flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Chicago (ORD) takes 3h 34m on average. That is the median time recorded across 3 scheduled flights on this leg; the actual time varies by a few minutes with wind, routing and take-off queues.
On the Los Angeles (LAX) -> Chicago (ORD) route, on-time performance is 77% with an average delay of 19 minutes, based on 4253 tracked flights.
The cancellation rate on Los Angeles-Chicago is 2.21% across 4253 monitored flights.
The route is operated by 5 airlines: American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Singapore Airlines Cargo, United Airlines.
Enter your flight number on FlightGuard for a real-time analysis based on 9 factors: weather at Chicago, 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.
