San Francisco ↔ Chicago: United Airlines Domestic First Flights at $239 Oneway, $478 Roundtrip (Lie Flat Possible)

Star Alliance member United Airlines has issued a very interesting fare for flights between its two hubs in San Francisco and Chicago O’Hare airport. You can currently buy tickets for the four-hour-ride in domestic first class (=business) for as little as US$239 (~€223) and have a very slight chance of ending up on one of United’s long-haul planes – in a lie-flat-seat.

Our availability calendar highlights all possible one ways for less than $300 and roundtrips for less than $600. It will forward you to United with your selected flight dates. You can also check what OTAs on momondo have to offer.

Show Availability for One-Ways

We have been able to find lie-flat seats for the discounted fare on the following dates. It is only possible on flights from San Francisco to Chicago:

• December 5 for 239
• December 26 for $239
• January 7 for $270
• February 5 for $259

You can also purchase round trip tickets for less than $600:

Show Availability for Round-Trips

United Airlines uses a mixture of Boeing 737 and Boeing 757 aircraft on this route. Both feature recliner seats in a 2-2 seating pattern in Domestic First. You have the (slight) chance to catch the occasional Boeing 777 or 787 on this route, with lie-flat-seats in a 1-2-1. While these are very rare on the nonstop flights, you can at least spend a couple of hours in one when changing planes in Denver.

Search & Book

These fares are valid without a sales or travel period. Availability is best for 2023 and early 2024 departures, though you can find some travel dates at the lowest fare as late as June 2024.

Google Flights helps you find additional flight dates. You can buy these tickets both on momondo and United Airlines’ website.

Why is booking with an airline better than with an online travel agency?

More often than not, online travel agencies offer lower fares than airlines do. We still recommend booking with the airlines directly. There are two main reasons for that:

Better Customer Service
In case any problems like delays, cancellations or missed connections arise, you can communicate directly with the airline. The airline has to take care of you because you have a contract with them.

If a travel agency issues your ticket, you may have to reach out to them first. You also depend on your OTA to forward information like flight changes instead of receiving them directly from the airline. In many cases, you may get a prime exhibition of responsibility shifting rather than problem-solving.

This especially applies to premium tickets. You don’t want to spend more than €1,000 to wind up with some budget OTA’s telephone hotline in case anything goes wrong.

Baggage and Other Fees
Economy fares not including hold luggage are industry standard by now. In most cases, travel agencies charge much higher baggage fees than the airlines themselves. If bags are not included in your fare, airlines are often the cheaper alternative.

This also applies to other things like food services, insurances or priority treatment. In almost all cases, you pay less for additional amenities when booking on the airlines’ website.

Mileage

United Airlines issues these tickets in booking class P. A oneway trip between San Francisco and Chicago at the lowest possible fare earns you:

Thanks to our source in the Flyertalk!