Routes / ORD–ATL
976 km great circle · Up to 1,500 km
Chicago ORD to Atlanta ATL delay compensation
Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport is 976 km by great circle, a domestic United States route. Neither EU nor UK rules reach it, and US law pays no cash for a delay.
- 1Chicago ORD
- 2Atlanta ATL
- 3Great circle 976 km
- 4US DOT Refund only
Which rules cover ORD–ATL
Chicago → Atlanta
Whatever the airline, this direction is covered by US DOT (the flight is within the United States (14 CFR 260.2, "covered flight")).
Atlanta → Chicago
Whatever the airline, this direction is covered by US DOT (the flight is within the United States (14 CFR 260.2, "covered flight")).
What you could be owed by hours late
Arrival delay at ATL (or ORD on the return), for a delay caused by the airline, per passenger, where each rule applies:
| Hours late | US DOT |
|---|---|
| 2 hours | Nothing |
| 3 h 30 min | Refund if you decline |
| 4 h 30 min | Refund if you decline |
| 6 h 30 min | Refund if you decline |
| 9 h 30 min | Refund if you decline |
The US column is the refund right only: a domestic itinerary needs 3+ hours.
The distance and the band
EU261 and UK261 measure distance "by the great circle route method" between the departure airport and the final destination. From the published coordinates of Chicago O'Hare International Airport (41.97861, -87.90472) and Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (33.63667, -84.42806) that is 976 km. The nearest band boundary is 1,500 km, 524 km beyond this route, so the band is not in doubt. Among the 17 routes on this site in the up to 1,500 km band, it is number 4 by length.
Other routes from Chicago O'Hare International Airport (KORD) on this site: San Francisco (2,964 km).
Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (KATL, Atlanta, United States) appears on no other route on this site.
If ORD–ATL is only one leg of your booking, measure to the final destination instead: a connection that makes you late at the end is compensated over the whole journey's distance.
Help at the airport while you wait
US law sets no meal or hotel duty; the large US airlines' published commitments do, and they are on the airline pages. Keep receipts for anything you buy: it is claimed back separately from any compensation.
Claiming on this route
Claim from the operating airline directly — it costs nothing.
US DOT: If it refuses, file a complaint with the US Department of Transportation's Aviation Consumer Protection office.
US airlines' dashboard commitments: Alaska Airlines · Allegiant Air · American Airlines · Delta Air Lines · Frontier Airlines · JetBlue Airways · Southwest Airlines · United Airlines.
Airport coordinates: Wikipedia: O%27Hare International Airport (infobox coordinates); Wikipedia: Hartsfield%E2%80%93Jackson Atlanta International Airport (infobox coordinates). Rules: 14 CFR 260.2 (eCFR). Checked 2026-10-20. General information, not legal advice.