Compare 5 loyalty programs for Chicago to Los Angeles award flights, with economy seats from 9,500 points.
Chicago to Los Angeles is a medium-haul domestic corridor, and nonstop award space shows up on United Airlines and American Airlines. Five programs price the route, and economy starts at 9,500 points via American AAdvantage. Where you book matters as much as what you fly: the same seat can carry very different prices from one program to the next. This page lines up every program on ORD–LAX in one place.
Best one-way award prices per airline over the next 12 months.
| Airline | Economy | Premium economy | Business | First |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 American AirlinesAA | 9,500Lowest | Not available | 25,500Lowest | 25,000Lowest |
 JetBlueB6 | 12,100pts | Not available | 90,800pts | Not available |
 Alaska AirlinesAS | 12,500pts | Not available | Not available | 25,000Lowest |
 United AirlinesUA | 13,600pts | 100,000Lowest | 69,400pts | 30,000pts |
 Air CanadaAC | 26,500pts | Not available | Not available | Not available |
When award seats between Chicago and Los Angeles price cheapest over the next year.
| Month | Cheapest award (points) |
|---|---|
| Nov 2026 | 26,500 |
| Dec 2026 | 15,000 |
| Jan 2027 | 9,500 |
| Feb 2027 | 9,500 |
| Mar 2027 | 25,000 |
| Apr 2027 | 9,500 |
| May 2027 | 25,000 |
| Jun 2027 | 25,000 |
| Jul 2027 | No award data |
| Aug 2027 | No award data |
| Sep 2027 | No award data |
| Oct 2027 | No award data |
5 airlines with award seats between Chicago and Los Angeles, nonstop or connecting.
American AirlinesAAAir CanadaACAlaska AirlinesASJetBlueB6United AirlinesUAWhat to know before booking Chicago to Los Angeles with points.
Distance ~1,740 miles; nonstop flying time ~4h (estimate). Local time in Los Angeles is 2 hours behind Chicago. Data covers November 2026–October 2027, with calendar prices for eight months. Counting well-covered months only, January, February, and April 2027 are among the cheapest, at 9,500 points, while December 2026 (15,000) runs higher.
Chicago to Los Angeles is served by American Airlines, Air Canada, Alaska Airlines and 2 more, offering multiple options for award travelers. Compare 5 loyalty programs to find the best value for your points. Award prices start from 9,500 points in economy. Use our search tool to check real-time award availability on this route.
Roughly 1,740 miles separate Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), so a nonstop spends about 4 hours in the air, a little more or less depending on winds and direction. The nonstop award space in the data is split between United Airlines and American Airlines. Aircraft logged on those nonstops include the Airbus A321 and Airbus A321neo. About 24% of the award options in the data are nonstop.
Chicago–Los Angeles is a domestic route, so the first question is whether to spend points at all. The cheapest economy seat connects once; skipping the connection means an economy nonstop on United Airlines at a higher price. The economy floor adds about $6 in taxes and fees, in line with the route's typical economy taxes. Points pay off here mainly when fares run high, so redeem then and pay cash otherwise. Transfers out of bank programs can't be reversed, so confirm the exact flight is bookable first.
American AAdvantage wins economy at 9,500 points and business class at 25,500. Alaska Atmos Rewards takes first class at 25,000 points on an American Airlines nonstop. Also in the mix: United MileagePlus, JetBlue TrueBlue, and Virgin Australia Velocity. Decide the cabin first: American AAdvantage wins economy and business class, and from first class up, Alaska Atmos Rewards does.
Chicago–Los Angeles draws nonstop award space from two alliances: United Airlines (Star Alliance) and American Airlines (oneworld). Partner programs in both alliances can each book a nonstop. If you're open to a stop, the better-priced connecting awards in the data run through Dallas/Fort Worth. The lowest first-class award here is a oneworld partner booking: the American Airlines nonstop through Alaska Atmos Rewards. Only five airlines show award inventory on the route, so a route alert is the surest way to catch new saver space.
Arriving in the Los Angeles area, Orange County (SNA) has priced economy from 10,000 points across the tracked dates, above LAX, so it's a backup for when LAX space is gone; Ontario (ONT) prices from 14,500. The return, Los Angeles to Chicago, has its own page, since award pricing can differ by direction.
Alternative corridors travelers consider alongside Chicago to Los Angeles.
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Common questions travelers ask about the Chicago to Los Angeles route.
