The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is
stepping in to curtail the number of planned flights at Chicago
O'Hare airport this summer, arguing that carriers are proposing schedules that
exceed what the airport can handle.
The move comes
after both United
Airlines and American
Airlines announced their intentions to increase service from O’Hare. Now,
the FAA plans to hold a schedule reduction meeting with major carriers on March
3 to cut down the number of departures during the busy summer season, which
runs from March 29 through October 25.
As it’s presently
being planned, 2026 would be O’Hare’s busiest summer ever. Airlines have
published planned schedules with over 3,080 daily takeoffs and landings on peak
summer days — up sharply from last summer’s 2,680 daily operations.
United plans to
operate about 780 flights per day from Chicago this month, compared to an
average of 541 daily flights last year. The airline has also announced plans to
boost its mainline departures by 20 percent over last summer.
American has also
expanded its schedule, announcing plans to add 100 daily departures to more
than 75 destinations in time for spring break. That represents a 30 percent
increase in spring departures compared to 2025, with daily flights rising from
484 last summer to 526 this year.
The FAA warned that
such growth would be insupportable. According to Reuters,
the agency said the "increase is significant and would stress the runway,
terminal, and air traffic control systems."
Right now, O’Hare
is handling roughly 100 departures and 100 arrivals per hour, or about 2,800
total daily operations. According to the FAA, that level is manageable
"given the current infrastructure and staffing resources."
Therefore, the FAA
is proposing to institute a cap of 2,800 flights per day for the entire summer
season. The goal, it says, is "to prevent large-scale operational
disruption while also allowing air carriers to operate within the airport’s
demonstrated manageable capacity."
Both airlines have
publicly supported the FAA’s decision to convene discussions.
American praised
the FAA and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy "for taking proactive
action to ensure the operational integrity of the airfield and airspace in
Chicago. The FAA now has the opportunity to achieve an improved customer
experience for passengers traveling from, to, and through Chicago this
summer."
United echoed that
sentiment, saying, "We share their commitment to running a safe and
reliable operation out of O'Hare and look forward to a collaborative
discussion."
FAA Administrator
Bryan Bedford reportedly expressed concerns to the airlines behind closed doors
about O’Hare’s ability to realistically handle the additional flights they have
proposed. He pointed out that the agency took similar action last summer at
Newark, cutting flights to prevent undue strain on airport operations.
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