Compare 3 loyalty programs for New York to Chicago award flights, with economy seats from 7,500 points.
New York to Chicago is a short-haul domestic route with nonstop award seats on American Airlines, Delta, and JetBlue. Just three programs price the route, and the cheapest economy award is 7,500 points via Alaska Atmos Rewards, on an American Airlines nonstop. Short flights reward points discipline: check the cash fare before redeeming, and save points for the days award pricing dips. This page lines up every program on JFK–ORD in one place.
Best one-way award prices per airline over the next 12 months.
| Airline | Economy |
|---|---|
 American AirlinesAA | 7,500Lowest |
 DeltaDL | 7,900pts |
 JetBlueB6 | 12,300pts |
When award seats between New York and Chicago price cheapest over the next year.
| Month | Cheapest award (points) |
|---|---|
| Nov 2026 | No award data |
| Dec 2026 | No award data |
| Jan 2027 | 10,800 |
| Feb 2027 | No award data |
| Mar 2027 | No award data |
| Apr 2027 | 7,500 |
| May 2027 | No award data |
| Jun 2027 | No award data |
| Jul 2027 | No award data |
5 airlines with award seats between New York and Chicago, nonstop or connecting.
American AirlinesAA
Alaska AirlinesASJetBlueB6DeltaDL
United AirlinesUAWhat to know before booking New York to Chicago with points.
~740 miles; ~2h nonstop (approximate). Chicago runs 1 hour behind New York. Data covers November 2026–July 2027. Only two months in the calendar data carry prices: January 2027 at 10,800 points and April 2027 at 7,500.
New York to Chicago is served by American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, JetBlue and 2 more, offering multiple options for award travelers. Compare 3 loyalty programs to find the best value for your points. Award prices start from 7,500 points in economy. Use our search tool to check real-time award availability on this route.
Roughly 740 miles separate New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD), so a nonstop spends about 2 hours in the air, a little more or less depending on winds and direction. The nonstop award space in the data is split across American Airlines, Delta, and JetBlue. The Embraer 175 and Airbus A320 both appear on those nonstop award segments. About 17% of the award options in the data are nonstop.
For New York–Chicago, the cash fare is the benchmark an award has to beat. The cheapest economy seat is a partner award on an American Airlines nonstop, so the lowest price is also the quickest trip. Taxes and fees on that seat run about $18, above the route's typical economy taxes. If the cash price is modest, buying the ticket is often the better trade. Transfers out of bank programs can't be reversed, so confirm the exact flight is bookable first.
Alaska Atmos Rewards is cheapest in economy at 7,500 points on an American Airlines nonstop. JetBlue TrueBlue and Delta SkyMiles also price the route. Alaska Atmos Rewards' lead holds until a transfer bonus elsewhere shifts the math; recheck before moving points.
The New York–Chicago nonstop is contested on points: American Airlines (oneworld), Delta (SkyTeam), and JetBlue all show award space. That gives partner currencies from both alliances a way onto a nonstop. The lowest economy award here is a oneworld partner booking: the American Airlines nonstop through Alaska Atmos Rewards. With just five airlines holding award seats here, flexible dates do more work than carrier choice.
Departing the New York area, Newark (EWR) has priced economy from 4,500 points across the tracked dates, under JFK's low for the same stretch; LaGuardia (LGA) prices from 6,700. LaGuardia and Newark have nonstop flights to Chicago in the data too. Pricing the round trip? Chicago to New York is tracked separately, and awards can price differently each way.
Alternative corridors travelers consider alongside New York to Chicago.
From 4,500 ptsBusiness 18,900 pts
From 4,900 pts
From 5,000 ptsBusiness 15,000 pts
From 5,800 ptsBusiness 19,300 pts
From 6,000 ptsBusiness 29,000 pts
From 6,000 ptsBusiness 15,100 pts
Common questions travelers ask about the New York to Chicago route.
