Day Trip ORD to California?
 

Do any of you long-time Chicagoans have tips on the best way to day trip to CA? I'd love to fly to ORD-SFO at 6am (arriving around 8:30) and return SFO-ORD at 8pm arriving at 2am. Could still sleep in my bed but have almost a full day's work with a customer on the peninsula.

UA's first flight doesn't leave for SFO until 7:10, and on the return it's either 6pm (too early - cuts short the day) or 11:15 (I hate redeyes; I'm dead the next day).

Why aren't there return flights SFO-ORD around 8pm? It can't be because the airport is closed; I've used US's flight PHX-ORD which arrives at 2:32 am. One time that was delayed 2 hours. Ouch.

I've done 24 hour r/t's ORD-Calif a couple times, but did redeyes on the return. (DL, via ATL or CVG... close to 5k eqm's for the r/t). Left ORD around 8 a.m. and returned around the same time.

With the uprade, I was able to sleep nicely on the returns.

I think it's because a 2:30am arrival is a weird time.