Flights Seattle → Chicago
SEA → ORD
How long is the flight from Seattle to Chicago?
The flight from Seattle (SEA) to Chicago (ORD) takes 3h 33m on average. That is the median time recorded across 7 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 Seattle to Chicago operates with a high level of punctuality, achieving on-time performance of 81%, with an average delay time of 13.4 minutes when delays do occur. The route sees frequent service with a total of 1122 flights annually and utilizes various aircraft models including the Boeing 737-800, Boeing 737-900, Airbus A320, Boeing 757-200, and Airbus A319 to serve one of the busiest airports in terms of passenger traffic.
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 Seattle (SEA) → Chicago (ORD) route is operated by American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, United Airlines. Across 3305 flights monitored in recent months, 78% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 18 minutes. The cancellation rate is 1.72%. 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 Seattle the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes.
Heading to Chicago: what to expect in this direction
Flying from Seattle (SEA) to Chicago (ORD) heads east for about 2,762 km, a flight time of roughly 3h 33m.
Departures from Seattle on this leg cluster in the overnight window: about 49% of SEA-ORD flights take off then.
Air-traffic congestion: departing Seattle the average ATFM delay is 5.5 min (atfm); arriving into Chicago it is 5.5 min (atfm).
Across 3,305 tracked SEA-ORD flights, 78% left on time with an average delay of 18 min and a 1.7% 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 SEA-ORD
Airports
Frequently asked questions about SEA-ORD
The flight from Seattle (SEA) to Chicago (ORD) takes 3h 33m on average. That is the median time recorded across 7 scheduled flights on this leg; the actual time varies by a few minutes with wind, routing and take-off queues.
On the Seattle (SEA) -> Chicago (ORD) route, on-time performance is 78% with an average delay of 18 minutes, based on 3305 tracked flights.
The cancellation rate on Seattle-Chicago is 1.72% across 3305 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 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.
