Chicago to Tel Aviv Flights (ORD to TLV): Nonstop Status, Flight Time and Backup Routings

Is the O'Hare nonstop flying?

United has flown Chicago O'Hare to Tel Aviv nonstop from its hub, usually a few times a week rather than daily. Like every US airline, United suspended Israel flights in late 2023 and brought them back in stages, with Newark first and Chicago later. As of recent schedules, check United's timetable for your exact dates before you assume the nonstop is there. El Al has flown Chicago in the past but does not serve it as of recent schedules.

When the nonstop is not running, or not on your day, Chicago has a wide choice of one-stop routes:

• Newark on United, with the most frequent US departures to Tel Aviv and many daily flights from O'Hare. El Al also flies from Newark.
• New York JFK on Delta, which flies O'Hare to JFK and on to Tel Aviv. El Al's JFK departures are the busiest in its US network.
• Europe, on airlines that fly from O'Hare and continue to Tel Aviv when their Israel services are running: Lufthansa via Frankfurt or Munich, Swiss via Zurich, Austrian via Vienna, LOT via Warsaw, British Airways via London, Air France via Paris, KLM via Amsterdam, Iberia via Madrid and ITA via Rome.

Israel flights on these airlines have been suspended and restored several times since late 2023. Before you buy, check that the Tel Aviv leg is actually scheduled on your dates.

Flight time and distance from Chicago

O'Hare to Ben Gurion is about 6,170 miles (roughly 9,920 km) on the great circle. The nonstop, when it flies, takes around 11 and a half to 12 hours eastbound and 13 to 13 and a half hours westbound, into the Atlantic jet stream. Via Newark or JFK the trip takes 14 to 17 hours with the connection; via a European hub, 14 to 18.

The eastbound nonstop leaves Chicago in the evening and lands in Tel Aviv the next afternoon or evening. The return leaves Tel Aviv in the morning or around midday and reaches Chicago the same afternoon.

Departing from O'Hare

O'Hare has four terminals, 1, 2, 3 and 5. United's domestic flights use Terminals 1 and 2, and many of its international departures also leave from Terminal 1, so check your boarding pass. Most foreign airlines depart from Terminal 5, a separate building reached by the airport transit train or shuttle bus, and all international arrivals use Terminal 5.

The CTA Blue Line runs from the Loop to the station under Terminals 1 to 3 in about 45 minutes; from there Terminal 5 is a short train ride. Three hours before an evening international flight is sensible, plus the transfer time if you arrive at the wrong terminal. Chicago winter weather can slow everything, so add time between December and March.

Choosing a backup routing

United to United at Newark is the simplest backup and works with a two-hour connection. A connection onto El Al at Newark or JFK needs three hours, because El Al questions every passenger before check-in and closes its counters early. On separate tickets you must collect your bag and check in again, which is how a cheap hop becomes a missed flight.

European connections run two to four hours. Frankfurt and Heathrow are large, with long walks and extra screening before the Tel Aviv gate. Warsaw, Vienna and Zurich are smaller and quicker to get through, and each gives a short second leg to Israel.

Arriving at Ben Gurion

International flights use Terminal 3. Israel issues a small printed entry slip instead of stamping your passport. Hotels ask for that slip to apply the tourist VAT exemption, so keep it with your passport.

The railway station is underneath the terminal. Trains to Tel Aviv take under 20 minutes, and trains to Jerusalem's Yitzhak Navon station about half an hour. Tickets are on a Rav-Kav card or a mobile app, not paper. Taxis leave from the supervised rank outside arrivals; plan on roughly half an hour to the city, longer at rush hour.

Shabbat changes the options. Trains and most buses stop from Friday afternoon until Saturday evening, so a late Friday arrival means a taxi or a shared sherut, which keep running.

Time difference from Central Time

Tel Aviv is eight hours ahead of Chicago for most of the year. Israel and the US change their clocks on different dates, so for a few weeks in spring and autumn the gap is seven or nine hours.

Eastbound, try to sleep on the overnight flight and stay up until a local bedtime after the afternoon or evening arrival. Two or three days is a typical adjustment. Westbound, the long day ends in a Chicago afternoon, and most people recover faster.

When to fly from Chicago

Tel Aviv is most comfortable in April and May and from October into early November. June to September is hot and humid on the coast. December to February is mild with most of the year's rain, which makes it a popular escape from a Chicago winter.

Demand follows the Jewish calendar: Passover, the autumn holiday season from Rosh Hashanah to Sukkot, Hanukkah and the summer break are the busiest periods. Chicago's large community of regular Israel travellers fills the nonstop and the Newark connections early at those times. Ben Gurion stops operating for about a day at Yom Kippur. Book holiday travel three to five months ahead; quieter weeks need less notice.

Entry rules for Israel

As of recent rules, US citizens do not need a visa for a short stay but must have an approved ETA-IL electronic travel authorisation before departure; the airline checks it at check-in. Apply on the official Israeli government site a few weeks before you fly, and make sure your passport is valid for at least six months from arrival.

Security questions before departure are routine in both directions. Answer plainly and arrive early for your flight home.

Common Chicago mistakes

The first is booking a hotel around a nonstop that is not scheduled on the chosen date. The second is going to Terminal 5 for a United flight that leaves from Terminal 1, or the reverse, and losing time on the transit train. The third is buying a separate cheap flight to New York and missing El Al's early check-in cutoff when it runs late.