Award flights from Houston (HOU) to Chicago

Award space from Houston (HOU) to Chicago

Preview cached flight results on these routes, then search for your own trip.

AwardTool saw award space on 2 airport pairs between Houston (HOU) and Chicago (ORD, MDW) in the last 30 days. Lowest economy: 8,000 miles + $5.60 on HOU–ORD (American Airlines AAdvantage). Lowest business class: 50,000 miles on HOU–ORD (GOL Smiles); mixed cabin from 49,800 miles + $5.60 on HOU–ORD (United MileagePlus).

Prices observed – .

Page regenerated from the Nov 12, 2026 data snapshot (normally daily). Summary last changed . Seats change quickly.

Lowest economy
8,000 pts + $5.60
HOU–ORD · AAdvantage
Lowest business class
50,000 pts + taxes not reported
HOU–ORD · Smiles · mixed cabin from 49,800 pts + $5.60 on HOU–ORD (MileagePlus)
Lowest first class
18,500 pts + $5.60
HOU–ORD · AAdvantage

Economy was lowest on HOU–ORD: 8,000 miles + $5.60 with American Airlines AAdvantage. The lowest on another airport pair was 12,300 miles + $5.60 with Delta SkyMiles on HOU–MDW. With American Airlines AAdvantage, first class started at 18,500 miles + $5.60, about 2.3 times the points of its lowest economy award (8,000 miles + $5.60).

Compare programs by cabin

The lowest one-way award each program showed in each cabin, sorted by points.

Economy

Lowest economy from Houston (HOU) to Chicago on points: 8,000 miles + $5.60 with American Airlines AAdvantage on HOU–ORD (seen on 30 dates).

ProgramPoints + taxesAirportsDates seen
American Airlines AAdvantageLowest observed8,000 pts + $5.60HOU–ORD30
Delta SkyMiles12,300 pts + $5.60HOU–ORD10
Alaska Atmos Rewards12,500 pts + $31.20HOU–ORD4
United MileagePlus15,000 pts + $5.60HOU–ORD6
GOL Smiles18,600 pts + taxes not reportedHOU–ORD6

Business Class

Lowest business class from Houston (HOU) to Chicago on points: 50,000 miles + taxes not reported with GOL Smiles on HOU–ORD (seen on 6 dates).

ProgramPoints + taxesAirportsDates seen
United MileagePlusLowest, mixed cabin49,800 pts + $5.60Mixed cabinHOU–ORD5
GOL Smiles50,000 pts + taxes not reportedHOU–ORD6

First Class

Lowest first class from Houston (HOU) to Chicago on points: 18,500 miles + $5.60 with American Airlines AAdvantage on HOU–ORD (seen on 30 dates).

ProgramPoints + taxesAirportsDates seen
American Airlines AAdvantageLowest observed18,500 pts + $5.60HOU–ORD30
Alaska Atmos Rewards25,000 pts + $25.60HOU–ORD4
Delta SkyMiles29,800 pts + $5.60HOU–MDW5
United MileagePlus48,500 pts + $5.60HOU–ORD6

Not seen means AwardTool hasn't observed this cabin on this route in the last 30 days. It doesn't mean the airline has no seats.

Houston (HOU) to Chicago at a glance

From
Houston (HOU)
To
Chicago (ORD, MDW)
Programs with award space seen
5 of 5 programs tracked on this route
Nonstop award space seen
Yes, in economy, business class and first class, via American Airlines AAdvantage, GOL Smiles and United MileagePlus
Airlines seen on these awards
American Airlines (AA), Alaska Airlines (AS), Delta Air Lines (DL), United Airlines (UA)
Departures with open awards
Nov 2026 to Apr 2027
Latest departure with space
Observation window
Awards observed in the last 30 days
Distance
938–946 miles (1,510–1,522 km) between the airports, great-circle
Destination guide
Award flights to Chicago

Compare airports

Lowest one-way award AwardTool observed on each airport pair between Houston (HOU) and Chicago, with the program and the number of departure dates seen.

AirportsEconomyBusinessFirst
Houston (HOU) to Chicago O’Hare (ORD)8,000 pts + $5.60AAdvantage · 30 dates49,800 pts + $5.60MileagePlus · 5 dates · Mixed cabin18,500 pts + $5.60AAdvantage · 30 dates
Houston (HOU) to Chicago Midway (MDW)12,300 pts + $5.60SkyMiles · 5 dates—29,800 pts + $5.60SkyMiles · 5 dates

Not seen means AwardTool hasn't observed this cabin on this route in the last 30 days. It doesn't mean the airline has no seats.

Prices are one-way per traveler: the program's points or miles plus taxes and carrier fees in USD, as AwardTool observed them in the observation window. Award space changes constantly. A seat we saw may be gone, and space we haven't seen may exist. Always confirm with a live search before transferring points; most transfers can't be reversed.

Lowest observed by cabin, Houston (HOU) to Chicago

  • Economy: 8,000 miles + $5.60 on Houston (HOU) to Chicago O’Hare (ORD) with American Airlines AAdvantage, which showed economy award space there on 30 dates.
  • Business Class: 50,000 miles on Houston (HOU) to Chicago O’Hare (ORD) with GOL Smiles, which showed business-class award space there on 6 dates; mixed cabin from 49,800 miles + $5.60 on HOU–ORD (United MileagePlus).
  • First Class: 18,500 miles + $5.60 on Houston (HOU) to Chicago O’Hare (ORD) with American Airlines AAdvantage, which showed first-class award space there on 30 dates.

Observed award examples

Awards AwardTool observed for departures in the next 60 days (one way, per traveler)
DepartureCabinAirportsProgramPoints + taxesSeatsStopsObserved (UTC)
EconomyHOU–ORDAmerican Airlines AAdvantage8,000 pts + $5.60—NonstopCheck this date
BusinessHOU–ORDUnited MileagePlus49,800 pts + $5.60Mixed cabin9+1 stopCheck this date
BusinessHOU–ORDGOL Smiles60,100 pts + taxes not reported7NonstopCheck this date
FirstHOU–ORDAmerican Airlines AAdvantage18,500 pts + $5.60—1 stopCheck this date
FirstHOU–ORDAlaska Atmos Rewards25,000 pts + $31.2081 stopCheck this date
FirstHOU–MDWDelta SkyMiles29,800 pts + $5.6051 stopCheck this date
FirstHOU–ORDUnited MileagePlus48,500 pts + $5.609+NonstopCheck this date

Prices are one-way per traveler: the program's points or miles plus taxes and carrier fees in USD, as AwardTool observed them in the observation window. Award space changes constantly. A seat we saw may be gone, and space we haven't seen may exist. Always confirm with a live search before transferring points; most transfers can't be reversed.

Nonstop award space

  • Economy: nonstop from 8,000 miles + $5.60 via American Airlines AAdvantage on HOU–ORD, which showed nonstop space there on 30 dates (3 programs had nonstop space).
  • Business class: nonstop from 58,000 miles + taxes vary via GOL Smiles on HOU–ORD, which showed nonstop space there on 6 dates.
  • First class: nonstop from 19,000 miles + taxes vary via American Airlines AAdvantage on HOU–ORD, which showed nonstop space there on 30 dates (2 programs had nonstop space).

Best months to fly from Houston (HOU) to Chicago on points

Each month shows the lowest award seen across the 2 airport pairs, with that program's open dates on the airport pair behind it.

Lowest prices among the dates we observed, by departure month. A record, not a forecast.
MonthEconomyBusinessFirst
9,000 pts + $5.60 (13 dates)AAdvantage60,100 pts + taxes not reported (4 dates)Smiles20,500 pts + $11.20 (13 dates)AAdvantage
8,000 pts + $5.60 (10 dates)AAdvantage49,800 pts + $5.60 (2 dates)MileagePlus · Mixed cabin18,500 pts + $5.60 (10 dates)AAdvantage
9,000 pts + taxes not reported (4 dates)AAdvantage—20,500 pts + $5.60 (4 dates)AAdvantage
8,000 pts + taxes not reported (1 date)AAdvantage—18,500 pts + taxes not reported (1 date)AAdvantage
9,000 pts + taxes not reported (2 dates)AAdvantage—21,000 pts + taxes not reported (2 dates)AAdvantage

A month's taxes are those of an award AwardTool recorded at that month's lowest price for a departure that month. “Taxes not reported” means the data has none for that month; the award still has taxes and fees.

Points that transfer to these programs

US card points to program miles or points: ratio and typical transfer time
ProgramAmexBiltCapital OneChaseCitiWells Fargo
American Airlines AAdvantage————1:1 · Instant—
Delta SkyMiles1:1 · Instant—————
United MileagePlus—1:1 · Instant—1:1 · Instant——

Check current transfer bonuses. Most transfers can't be reversed.

Questions about Houston (HOU) to Chicago award flights

Which airports had the lowest award prices from Houston (HOU) to Chicago?

In business class, HOU–ORD with 50,000 miles (GOL Smiles); mixed cabin from 49,800 miles + $5.60 on HOU–ORD (United MileagePlus). In economy, HOU–ORD with 8,000 miles + $5.60 (American Airlines AAdvantage). Prices are the lowest AwardTool observed in the last 30 days; search live before transferring points.

Which airport pairs between Houston (HOU) and Chicago had award space?

HOU–ORD (economy, business class and first class) and HOU–MDW (economy and first class). Airport pairs not listed had no award space AwardTool observed in the last 30 days.

How many points does it take to fly from Houston (HOU) to Chicago?

The lowest economy award AwardTool has seen was 8,000 miles + $5.60 with American Airlines AAdvantage. Seen Oct 21, 2026, 17:51 UTC for a Dec 24, 2026 departure. American Airlines AAdvantage showed economy award space on 30 departure dates at any price (newest observation Nov 12, 2026, 03:50 UTC). The lowest business-class award AwardTool has seen was 50,000 miles with GOL Smiles. Seen Nov 9, 2026, 21:51 UTC for a Dec 1, 2026 departure. GOL Smiles showed business-class award space on 6 departure dates at any price (newest observation Nov 10, 2026, 21:38 UTC). A mixed-cabin itinerary, with part of the trip in a lower cabin, was seen from 49,800 miles + $5.60 with United MileagePlus. Search live before transferring points.

Which loyalty programs had award space from Houston (HOU) to Chicago?

5 programs in the last 30 days: American Airlines AAdvantage (economy 30 dates, first class 30 dates); Alaska Atmos Rewards (economy 4 dates, first class 4 dates); Delta SkyMiles (economy 10 dates, first class 5 dates); GOL Smiles (economy 6 dates, business class 6 dates); United MileagePlus (economy 6 dates, business class 5 dates, first class 6 dates). Dates count departure dates with an open award.

Can you fly nonstop from Houston (HOU) to Chicago on points?

Yes. AwardTool observed nonstop award space in economy, business class and first class, bookable via American Airlines AAdvantage, GOL Smiles and United MileagePlus. The lowest nonstop award in economy was 8,000 miles + $5.60 with American Airlines AAdvantage.

How much are taxes and fees on award flights from Houston (HOU) to Chicago?

Taxes and fees on each program's lowest award ranged in economy from $5.60 with AAdvantage (8,000 miles + $5.60) to $31.20 with Atmos (12,500 points + $31.20). GOL Smiles did not report taxes for its lowest economy award. Amounts are one way per traveler in USD and can differ on other dates and routings.

Which credit card points can book awards from Houston (HOU) to Chicago?

American Express Membership Rewards: Delta SkyMiles (1:1). Bilt Rewards: Alaska Atmos Rewards (1:1), United MileagePlus (1:1). Chase Ultimate Rewards: United MileagePlus (1:1). Citi ThankYou Points: American Airlines AAdvantage (1:1). These are US card programs; ratios come from AwardTool's transfer partner list. Check current bonuses first.

What's the best month to fly from Houston (HOU) to Chicago on points?

Counting only month prices from programs with award space on 2 or more dates that month, and leaving out unusually low outliers: in economy, the lowest award was for Dec 2026 departures, 8,000 miles + $5.60 with AAdvantage (10 dates); in business class, the lowest award was for Dec 2026 departures, 50,000 miles + taxes not reported with Smiles (2 dates), and a mixed-cabin itinerary was seen for Dec 2026 departures from 49,800 miles + $5.60 with MileagePlus. The month table shows every lowest price, including those. Based on dates we observed, not a forecast.

When do award seats open for flights from Houston (HOU) to Chicago?

Booking windows before departure published by the programs with award space here (AwardTool's program data, reviewed Nov 6, 2026): United MileagePlus about 337 days, American Airlines AAdvantage about 331 days, Delta SkyMiles about 331 days and Alaska Atmos Rewards about 330 days. AwardTool saw award space on this route for departures as late as Apr 29, 2027; seats can open earlier or later, and released seats may already be booked. See award release dates by program.

Related routes

How this page is built

These figures come from AwardTool's cached award searches across 27 loyalty programs. A value counts only when AwardTool observed it in the last 30 days, for departures within 365 days of the data date. Each price is the lowest one-way award seen per passenger, in the program's points or miles, with taxes and fees in USD. A missing value means AwardTool hasn't seen that award recently, not that none exists. The date-by-date calendar is in the app: a limited window on the free plan and 365 days with Pro.

How AwardTool collects this data · Report a data problem