Routes / SFO–ORD
2,964 km great circle · 1,500 to 3,500 km
San Francisco SFO to Chicago ORD delay compensation
San Francisco International Airport to Chicago O'Hare International Airport is 2,964 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.
- 1San Francisco SFO
- 2Chicago ORD
- 3Great circle 2,964 km
- 4US DOT Refund only
Which rules cover SFO–ORD
San Francisco → Chicago
Whatever the airline, this direction is covered by US DOT (the flight is within the United States (14 CFR 260.2, "covered flight")).
Chicago → San Francisco
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 ORD (or SFO 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 San Francisco International Airport (37.61889, -122.375) and Chicago O'Hare International Airport (41.97861, -87.90472) that is 2,964 km. The nearest band boundary is 3,500 km, 536 km beyond this route, so the band is not in doubt. Among the 12 routes on this site in the 1,500 to 3,500 km band, it is number 4 by length.
Other routes from San Francisco International Airport (KSFO) on this site: Amsterdam (8,786 km).
Other routes from Chicago O'Hare International Airport (KORD) on this site: Atlanta (976 km).
If SFO–ORD 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: San Francisco International Airport (infobox coordinates); Wikipedia: O%27Hare International Airport (infobox coordinates). Rules: 14 CFR 260.2 (eCFR). Checked 2026-10-20. General information, not legal advice.