Direct Flights from Chicago to Columbia, Missouri
Nonstop service from ORD to COU on American, United. Here's the schedule at a glance — plus what to do once you land.
How rare is this nonstop?
Only 6 cities have a nonstop to Columbia, Missouri, so this is a route worth knowing about — most travelers connect to get there.
How long to go to Columbia, Missouri for, from Chicago
1h 10m in the air, 315 miles: short enough that a single night in Columbia, Missouri is worth it, and a day trip is not absurd.
With roughly 4 departures a day, you are not tied to one flight: if a meeting overruns or the weather turns, there is another one behind it.
About Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is a bustling college town in Missouri, halfway between St. Louis and Kansas City. It is home of the University of Missouri as well as two other post-secondary institutions Stephens College and Columbia College.
Summary from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA).
Top things to do in Columbia, Missouri
- The Cathedral of Saint Joseph is a Catholic cathedral serving as the mother church for the Diocese of Jefferson City in Missouri in the United States. It serves as the seat of the bishop, Ralph Bernard O'Donnell.
- The Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge was established in 1994, and has grown to over 16,700 acres (68 km2).
- Peace Park also known as McAlester Arboretum is a park and arboretum located on the University of Missouri campus in Columbia, Missouri, United States.
- The Union Covered Bridge State Historic Site is a Missouri State Historic Site in Monroe County, Missouri. The covered bridge is a Burr-arch truss structure built in 1871 over the Elk Fork of the Salt River.
- America’s National Churchill Museum is located on the Westminster College campus in Fulton, Missouri, United States.
- Arrow Rock State Historic Site is an open-air museum encompassing bluffs along the Missouri River and a portion of the village of Arrow Rock, Missouri.
- Jefferson Landing State Historic Site is a historic district maintained by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources encompassing several state-owned properties in Jefferson City, Missouri, United States.
- Rock Bridge Memorial State Park is a geological preserve and public recreation area encompassing 2,273 acres (920 ha), five miles (8.0 km) south of Columbia in Boone County, Missouri off of Missouri Route 163.
- Finger Lakes State Park is a public recreation area consisting of 1,138 acres (461 ha) in Boone County near the city of Columbia, Missouri, and adjacent to the Rocky Fork Lakes Conservation Area.
- The Museum of Art and Archaeology is the art museum of the University of Missouri. It is located in the Ellis Library in Columbia, Missouri. The Museum's galleries are free and open to the public.
- The State Historical Society of Missouri, a private membership and state funded organization, is a comprehensive research facility located in Columbia, Missouri, specializing in the preservation and study of Missouri's c…
- The Mizzou Botanic Garden contains thousands of plants within the campus of the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri, United States.
Attraction descriptions from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA); place data from Wikidata (CC0).
Columbia, Missouri weather, compared with Chicago
6° warmer than Chicago on average across the year, on daytime highs:
- January
- Columbia, Missouri 39°F · Chicago 31°F · 8° warmer
- April
- Columbia, Missouri 67°F · Chicago 59°F · 8° warmer
- July
- Columbia, Missouri 88°F · Chicago 84°F · 4° warmer
- October
- Columbia, Missouri 68°F · Chicago 62°F · 5° warmer
January bottoms out near 39°F — a real coat, not a layer.
Average daily highs, 1991–2020 station normals from Meteostat (CC BY 4.0), measured at each city's airport.
Planning a trip to Columbia, Missouri
- Best time to visit
- The best time to visit Columbia, Missouri is April–May and September–October, when daytime highs are a comfortable 67–80°F.
- How long to stay
- Columbia, Missouri rewards a longer visit — a full week lets you explore its many sights, from Cathedral of Saint Joseph (Jefferson City, Missouri), Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, and Peace Park (Missouri) and beyond.
Frequently asked questions
- Is there a direct flight from Chicago to Columbia, Missouri?
- Yes — you can fly nonstop from Chicago (ORD) to Columbia, Missouri (COU) on American, United.
- Which airlines fly nonstop from Chicago to Columbia, Missouri?
- American, United fly nonstop between Chicago (ORD) and Columbia, Missouri (COU).
- How many nonstop flights are there from Chicago to Columbia, Missouri?
- There are about 4 nonstop departures per day (roughly 28 per week) from Chicago to Columbia, Missouri.
- How far is Columbia, Missouri from Chicago?
- Columbia, Missouri is about 315 miles from Chicago by air.
- What is there to do in Columbia, Missouri?
- Popular things to do include Cathedral of Saint Joseph (Jefferson City, Missouri), Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge, Peace Park (Missouri), Union Covered Bridge State Historic Site, and more.
More nonstop destinations from Chicago near Columbia, Missouri
Airports near Chicago
The closest other departure airports to Chicago — each opens up more nonstop destinations.