United Airlines will be cutting over 100 daily flights at O’Hare Airport this summer due to federal regulations aimed at reducing recent flight increases by competing airlines, specifically United and American.
Based in Chicago, United did not specify which flights would be affected between May 14 and October 24 in a letter sent to employees this week. However, the airline is currently reaching out to impacted customers.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) instructed airlines last month to decrease their flights by 12% at O’Hare to ensure safety and prevent significant delays.
This summer, O’Hare faced an overcrowded flight schedule according to the FAA, driven by intense competition between United and American as both airlines have been adding more flights to gain control of additional gates.
This situation has placed considerable pressure on the airport’s ability to manage the number of incoming and outgoing flights. Last summer, less than 60% of flights at O’Hare were on time, as reported by the FAA.
Construction for expanding Terminal 1 adds further potential for delays as well.
Despite these flight reductions at O’Hare, which is now recognized as the busiest airport in the nation based on flight volume, it remains slightly busier compared to last year. The FAA revised its proposed summer schedule from 3,080 daily flights down to 2,708.
According to United, their adjusted summer schedule will feature around 650 daily departures – down from approximately 780 – but still represents an increase of about 11% compared to figures from 2025. With larger aircraft being used on some routes, they expect a rise of about 13% in passenger numbers this summer.
United CEO Scott Kirby mentioned recently that they might consider adding more flights in other locations due to the FAA’s restrictions at O’Hare.
American Airlines has not yet detailed its specific cuts at O’Hare. However, a spokesperson stated that they anticipate reducing around 40 daily arrivals and departures.
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