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ORDZRH

Chicago to Zurichaward flights

Compare 10 loyalty programs for Chicago to Zurich award flights, with economy seats from 12,000 points.

From
ORD
To
ZRH
Depart
4,430 miles~9h 25m
Snapshot

Route snapshot

Chicago to Zurich is a long-haul transatlantic route, and nonstop award space shows up on United Airlines and Swiss. It's priced by 10 programs, and the cheapest economy award is 12,000 points with Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. With this many programs in play, the same seat can price very differently depending on where you book it. Pricing for all 10 programs on ORD–ZRH is laid out below.

Route
ORD to ZRH
Direct service
415 direct award flights
Airlines with award availability
29
Best economy price
From 12,000 pts
Best premium economy price
From 30,000 pts
Best business price
From 45,000 pts
Best first class price
From 70,000 pts
Pricing

Award pricing comparison

Best one-way award prices per airline over the next 12 months.

AirlineEconomyPremium economyBusinessFirst
Air France logo
Air FranceAF
12,000Lowest
40,000pts
183,175pts
Not available
KLM logo
KLMKL
12,000Lowest
40,000pts
125,000pts
Not available
TAP Air Portugal logo
TAP Air PortugalTP
19,000pts
Not available
145,000pts
Not available
British Airways logo
British AirwaysBA
22,500pts
30,000Lowest
45,000Lowest
Not available
Delta logo
DeltaDL
25,000pts
55,000pts
125,000pts
125,000pts
American Airlines logo
American AirlinesAA
27,500pts
35,000pts
85,000pts
70,000Lowest
Condor logo
CondorDE
27,500pts
35,000pts
185,000pts
Not available
Aer Lingus logo
Aer LingusEI
27,500pts
Not available
250,000pts
Not available
Scandinavian Airlines logo
Scandinavian AirlinesSK
30,000pts
45,000pts
60,000pts
Not available
United Airlines logo
United AirlinesUA
30,000pts
50,000pts
75,000pts
75,000pts
Lowest in each cabin—No award seats foundPoints, one-way. Live award pricing from FlightFlyer data, computed 10/29/2026. Prices vary by date and availability.
Availability

Award pricing by month

When award seats between Chicago and Zurich price cheapest over the next year.

Cheapest monthNovember 2026 · 12,000 pts
CheapestNext 12 months
Cheapest award by month
MonthCheapest award (points)
Nov 202612,000
Dec 202619,000
Jan 202712,000
Feb 202712,000
Mar 202712,000
Apr 202719,000
May 202712,000
Jun 202725,000
Jul 202721,250
Aug 2027No award data
Sep 2027No award data
Oct 2027No award data
Nov, Jan, Feb currently price cheapest on this route, with awards from 12,000 pts one-way based on recent award data.
Airlines

Airlines with award seats on this route

15 airlines with award seats between Chicago and Zurich, nonstop or connecting.

American Airlines logoAmerican AirlinesAA
Air Canada logoAir CanadaAC
Avianca logoAviancaAV
Finnair logoFinnairAY
JetBlue logoJetBlueB6
British Airways logoBritish AirwaysBA
Delta logoDeltaDL
Iberia logoIberiaIB
Lufthansa logoLufthansaLH
Qatar Airways logoQatar AirwaysQR
Scandinavian Airlines logoScandinavian AirlinesSK
Singapore Airlines logoSingapore AirlinesSQ
Turkish Airlines logoTurkish AirlinesTK
TAP Air Portugal logoTAP Air PortugalTP
United Airlines logoUnited AirlinesUA
Guide

Route notes

What to know before booking Chicago to Zurich with points.

Route information

  • 4,430 miles
  • ~9h 25m flight
  • +7h time difference
  • Data Nov 2026 – Oct 2027

About 4,430 miles, roughly 9h25 nonstop. Zurich is 7 hours ahead of Chicago (briefly 6 around the spring and autumn clock changes). Award data window: November 2026–October 2027, with calendar prices for nine months. Across well-covered months, November 2026, January 2027, and February 2027 are among the cheapest, at 12,000 points; pricier months include December 2026, June 2027, and July 2027 (19,000–25,000).

About this route

Chicago to Zurich is served by Aegean Airlines, American Airlines, Air Canada and 26 more, offering multiple options for award travelers. Compare 10 loyalty programs to find the best value for your points. Award prices start from 12,000 points in economy. Use our search tool to check real-time award availability on this route.

Chicago–Zurich Flights

At about 4,430 miles from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Zurich Airport (ZRH), a nonstop runs roughly 9h25, give or take with the winds. The nonstop award space in the data is split between United Airlines and Swiss. The Boeing 767-300 appears on some of those nonstop award segments. Most award options in the data connect. Nonstops are just about 1% of the total.

Best Ways to Book With Points & Miles

The cabin call comes first on Chicago–Zurich; on a long-haul trip, the right program follows from it. The economy floor connects once; an economy nonstop on either carrier costs more. The cheapest economy seat adds about $181 in taxes and fees, well above the route's typical economy taxes, so weigh points and cash together before booking. The middle step, premium economy, costs about 2.5 times economy; business costs about 3.8 times. Flexible bank points can reach Virgin Atlantic Flying Club; confirm the space first, since transfers can't be undone.

Best Points & Miles Programs

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club takes economy at 12,000 points. Alaska Atmos Rewards is cheapest in premium economy at 30,000 points and business class at 45,000. Its 70,000-point first-class fare connects; treat it as mixed-cabin until each segment's cabin checks out. Among the remaining eight programs, Air Canada Aeroplan, United MileagePlus, and Air France-KLM Flying Blue are good places to cross-check.

Airlines & Routing Options

United Airlines and Swiss are both Star Alliance carriers with nonstop award space on Chicago–Zurich, so the alliance's partner programs can book it as well as the airlines' own. Beyond the nonstop, the cheaper connecting awards in the data change planes in Frankfurt, Paris, and Amsterdam. Partner pricing sets the business-class floor: Alaska Atmos Rewards books British Airways as a oneworld partner, and no program prices British Airways lower in that cabin at last check.

Alternative Airports & Routes

Chicago–Zurich has no same-metro alternates in the data on either end, so shifting dates does the work a second airport would. Out of Chicago, Athens (9,500 points) and Anchorage (10,000) are cheaper redemptions at last check. For a shorter trip from Chicago, Aruba and Auckland are tracked too.

Booking tips

  1. 1Search flexible dates first, since saver award seats can appear on scattered days.
  2. 2Compare partner programs before transferring points, since the same seat can price very differently.
  3. 3Check both direct and connecting options when direct award seats are limited.
  4. 4Book early for peak travel periods, when saver space disappears fastest.
  5. 5Recheck availability often, since airlines may release more award seats closer to departure.
Compare

Similar routes

Alternative corridors travelers consider alongside Chicago to Zurich.

ORDYYZChicago to Toronto

From 1,883 ptsBusiness 9,000 pts

BOSZRHBoston to Zurich

From 4,520 ptsBusiness 45,000 pts

ORDFLLChicago to Fort Lauderdale

From 5,500 ptsBusiness 29,000 pts

ORDLAXChicago to Los Angeles

From 5,700 ptsBusiness 25,500 pts

ORDMUCChicago to Munich

From 6,293 ptsBusiness 55,000 pts

ORDSEAChicago to Seattle

From 6,900 ptsBusiness 30,000 pts

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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions travelers ask about the Chicago to Zurich route.

The cheapest economy award at last check is 12,000 points one-way through Virgin Atlantic Flying Club, with one stop. There are 10 programs pricing this route, and the cheapest isn't always the obvious one. The pricing table above shows each cabin's low at last check.