Cheap flights from Chicago to Los Angeles from $145

In general, January is the cheapest month to fly from Chicago to Santa Ana, California. Due to it being the ‘off-season’ during this time, you can expect flight prices to be around $380. If you aren’t able to travel during the month of January, then book flights to Santa Ana, California from Chicago during April instead. Flights to Santa Ana, California in April, while not as cheap as those in January, still average around $396.

The cheapest day to depart from Chicago to Santa Ana, California is on a Saturday. Travelers who choose to depart for Santa Ana, California on a Saturday will often find tickets for as low as $402. The most expensive day to fly to Santa Ana, California is Sunday, with ticket prices averaging around $551.

In the morning is the cheapest time of day to fly from Chicago to Santa Ana, California when you can find flight prices for as low as $427. Flying to Santa Ana, California in the morning is an ideal time because this is during off-peak travel hours. In contrast, the most expensive time of day to depart to Santa Ana, California is in the evening when prices are around $451.

Fly from Chicago O'Hare Intl to Santa Ana J. Wayne/Orange Cnty for the best Chicago - Santa Ana J. Wayne/Orange Cnty flight prices

You are more likely to see cheaper flights to Santa Ana, California from Chicago when booking weeks ahead of your departure date. In general, you can expect to find flights to Santa Ana, California for around $418 when searching weeks out. However, flight prices might be lower outside of this timeframe. For example, people recently found flights to Santa Ana, California from Chicago for as low as $352 on momondo.

There are 4 cabin classes available to choose from on Chicago to Santa Ana, California flights. Cabin price and availability will vary by airline so perform a search above to find the right deals for you.

United Airlines, Frontier, and Southwest are the most popular carriers operating from Chicago to Santa Ana J. Wayne/Orange Cnty

American Airlines, United Airlines and Frontier are the top three most popular airlines that fly to Santa Ana, California from Chicago according to our data. American Airlines is the first choice among our users, with 41% of people opting to fly with this airline when traveling to Santa Ana, California. Keep in mind that there are 7 different airlines that fly to Santa Ana, California on a routine basis, so you have a few additional options to choose from.

Denver (DEN) was the most common stop: 75% of momondo users choosing 1-stop flights on this route connected there.

Flights via Denver (DEN) offer the lowest average round-trip price of $329.

Flights connecting via Denver (DEN) have the shortest average one-way travel time: 6h 07m.

Seattle (SEA) has the shortest average layover time for this route: 1h 05m.

The number of flights available between Chicago and Santa Ana, California is 13 per day as of October 2026. The most frequent departure time is 5:00PM, with 51% of daily flights leaving in the afternoon.

96 flights are operational weekly from Chicago to Santa Ana, California as of October 2026. The most popular departure day for this route is Thu, with 21% of flights per week taking off on this day.