Flights to Chicago O'Hare started at $108 round trip from Atlanta on Frontier, nonstop, in our 4 November 2026 check for 9 to 16 December. Dallas was $110, also a Frontier nonstop. Los Angeles came in at $151 and Orlando at $168, and the cheapest fares from both had one stop.
We searched one December week from four of the most searched starting cities for Chicago flights. Atlanta and Dallas were close to identical, and both got you there nonstop in under three hours.
The West Coast and Florida cost more and took longer on the cheapest fares, because those fares connected somewhere on the way.
| Flying from | Lowest round trip | Airline | Stops | Outbound flight time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta (ATL) | $108 | Frontier | Nonstop | 2 h 17 |
| Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) | $110 | Frontier | Nonstop | 2 h 38 |
| Los Angeles (LAX) | $151 | Frontier | 1 stop | 6 h 38 |
| Orlando (MCO) | $168 | Frontier | 1 stop | 6 h 20 |
All into Chicago O'Hare (ORD). Travel 9 to 16 December 2026, round trip, economy, one adult, taxes included, checked 4 November 2026. Fares shown are the lowest found at the time of the snapshot, per person, and are subject to availability and change at the time of booking.
Only if everything fits under the seat. Frontier's fares include one free personal item, and a carry-on or checked bag costs extra. Frontier prices bags by travel date and by when you buy them, so check its bag price checker for your trip before comparing.
Other airlines charge a set fee instead. American, Delta and Southwest each charge $45 for a first checked bag on their standard economy fares (American's price is for booking online). On American and Delta that's $45 each way, so a bag adds $90 to a round trip. Add your bags to every fare you're comparing, then decide.
Related: Frontier's bag fees, in full · Carry-on size limits on US airlines
Pick the airport your airline uses, then check what it costs to reach where you're staying. O'Hare is the hub for United and American, and Southwest is Midway's main airline. We ran the same dates into Midway from three cities, and the answer changed from city to city.
Denver shows why price alone misleads. The $200 fare to Midway took 18 hours 43 minutes on the way out, while Southwest's nonstop cost $10 more and took 2 hours 20 minutes. We'd pay the $10.
The ride into the city differs too. From Midway, the CTA Orange Line reaches downtown in 20 to 25 minutes for $2.50 or less, but it doesn't run overnight. From O'Hare, the Blue Line takes 40 to 45 minutes for $5 and runs 24 hours a day. Average taxi fares to downtown are about $50 from O'Hare and $35 to $40 from Midway.
| Flying from | Cheapest into O'Hare | Cheapest into Midway | Midway nonstop on another airline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta (ATL) | $108, Frontier nonstop | $128, Frontier nonstop | $198, Delta |
| Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) | $110, Frontier nonstop | $110, Frontier nonstop | $210, Southwest |
| Denver (DEN) | No result in our check | $200, Frontier, 1 stop, 18 h 43 outbound | $210, Southwest, 2 h 20 |
Travel 9 to 16 December 2026, round trip, economy, one adult, taxes included, checked 4 November 2026. Fares shown are the lowest found at the time of the snapshot, per person, and are subject to availability and change at the time of booking.
Related: Southwest's bag policy, explained
The Blue Line is the cheapest way, and the only option whose journey time doesn't depend on traffic.
Landing at Terminal 5? Take the free airport train (the ATS) to Terminal 2 or 3 for the Blue Line, and for rideshare too: the airport lists no rideshare pickup zone at Terminal 1 or 5. The ATS runs 24 hours a day.
If your bags are heavy or you're traveling as a group, a taxi saves the stairs and the transfer at the other end. For one person with a carry-on, we'd take the train.
Shuttle buses replace Blue Line trains between Jefferson Park and Harlem from Friday 10pm to Monday 4am on 6 to 9 and 13 to 16 November 2026, so allow extra time on those weekends.
| Option | Cost to downtown | Time | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| CTA Blue Line | $5 full fare from O'Hare | 40 to 45 min, 24/7 | Lower level of the parking garage; follow "Trains to City" signs |
| Taxi | About $50 on average | Depends on traffic | Follow the taxi signs in your terminal |
| Uber or Lyft | Set by the app | Depends on traffic | Terminal 2 Upper Level (poles 2A to 2G) or Terminal 3 Upper Level (poles 3G to 3K) |
| Metra North Central Service | Zone fare, paid to the conductor | Weekday trains only | O'Hare Transfer station, reached by the airport train |
Your boarding pass shows it. As a guide, United's lounges are in Terminals 1 and 2, American's are in Terminal 3, and the Delta Sky Club is in Terminal 5. There is no Terminal 4.
Most international arrivals clear customs in Terminal 5. If you're connecting to a United or American flight, you can recheck your bag right after customs; on other airlines, you leave Terminal 5 and check in again. Moving from Terminal 5 to another terminal on the airport train means going through TSA security again, so don't book a tight connection after an international flight.
We can't name the cheapest month from one set of searches, and we'd rather say so than guess. Our numbers cover a single week in mid-December.
What we can tell you: Chicago runs on Central Time, the same as Dallas, an hour behind Atlanta, New York and Orlando, an hour ahead of Denver and two ahead of Los Angeles. In winter, check the FAA's airport status page on the day you fly; delays elsewhere in the country can hold your flight even when Chicago's weather is fine.
Our 4 November 2026 check found round trips for 9 to 16 December 2026 from $108 out of Atlanta and $110 from Dallas, both Frontier nonstops, then $151 from Los Angeles and $168 from Orlando with one stop. Taxes are included. Fares change daily, so run your own search above.
Atlanta, in our 4 November 2026 check, at $108 round trip on a Frontier nonstop for 9 to 16 December 2026, with Dallas $2 behind at $110. Frontier charges extra for a carry-on and checked bags, so add those before you compare it with another airline's fare.
The cheaper airport depends on where you start. In our 4 November 2026 check for 9 to 16 December, Dallas cost $110 to either airport. From Atlanta, O'Hare was $20 cheaper at $108. From Denver, Southwest's $210 nonstop to Midway beat a $200 one-stop fare that took over 18 hours.
The CTA Blue Line costs $5 from O'Hare, runs 24 hours a day and takes 40 to 45 minutes to downtown. A taxi averages about $50, depending on traffic. Uber and Lyft pick up on the Upper Level at Terminals 2 and 3, not at Terminal 5.
Most international flights arrive at Terminal 5, where customs is. Flights precleared abroad, from some airports in Canada and Ireland for example, can arrive at Terminals 1, 2 or 3 instead. Connecting to a United or American flight? You can recheck your bag right after customs in Terminal 5.
About 2 hours 38 minutes nonstop to O'Hare on the Frontier flight in our 4 November 2026 check, and 2 hours 15 minutes to Midway on Southwest. Dallas and Chicago are both on Central Time, so there's no clock change to plan around when you land.
About this page
Written and fact-checked by the Flyingscanner team, last updated 4 November 2026. The fares quoted here come from our own live search on 4 November 2026, not estimates. Fares change until the airline issues a ticket, so check the live search on this page before you book. How Flyingscanner checks fares
