The journey from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) to Keflavík International Airport (KEF) in Iceland is a popular transatlantic crossing. Total travel time depends heavily on whether the flight is direct or involves a layover. Understanding the factors that influence the duration of this flight is helpful for planning the trip.
The Non-Stop Flight Duration
Non-stop flight time from Chicago to Iceland typically falls between 6 hours and 6 hours and 15 minutes. This duration is due to the great-circle route, which is the shortest distance between the two points on the globe. The flight covers an approximate distance of 2,950 miles (4,750 kilometers) over the North Atlantic Ocean.
Airlines such as Icelandair and United Airlines regularly operate this direct service. The flight path takes advantage of the northern latitude, which minimizes the distance compared to a straight line on a flat map.
Variables That Affect Total Travel Time
The total time spent traveling can be significantly longer than the non-stop flight duration due to atmospheric conditions, routing choices, and the difference in local time. The North Atlantic jet stream, a powerful, high-altitude wind current flowing west to east, is a primary factor. This jet stream acts as a strong tailwind for the eastbound flight to Keflavík, shortening the travel time.
Conversely, the return flight to Chicago must fly against this current, resulting in a headwind that noticeably extends the duration. Westbound flights can be over 20 minutes longer than average during periods of a strong jet stream. This difference means the flight back to Chicago will almost always be longer than the initial flight to Iceland.
Choosing a connecting flight instead of a direct route substantially increases the total travel time. A single stop, often in a major East Coast city like New York or Boston, can easily extend the journey to nine hours or more, depending on the layover duration. Travelers must account for the time spent on the ground.
The time zone difference impacts the perceived length of the trip, even though it does not change the actual time spent in the air. Iceland operates on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), which is five hours ahead of Chicago’s Central Time (CT) during Daylight Saving Time. A flight departing Chicago in the evening will arrive in Iceland early the next morning, making the journey feel much shorter than the clock indicates.