United Airlines is temporarily nixing 10 new routes from its flight schedule at its home hub in Chicago.
The 10 domestic routes were slated to launch this summer and fall at Chicago O’Hare International airport (ORD).
However, the carrier is pressing pause on the new flights due to the FAA’s flight cap at O’Hare that is now slated to last through October 2027.
In April 2026, the FAA announced it would cap operations at O’Hare due to construction initiatives affecting the airport’s runways and taxiways. The agency cut 10% of the flights at ORD, limiting the airport to 2,708 daily flights during the peak summer season from May to October 2026.
But earlier in July, the federal regulators announced they would be extending the Midwest hub’s flight cap by one year until October 30, 2027.
“Following the extension of FAA’s Chicago O’Hare’s flight schedule cap through October 2027, we are delaying the start of ten new routes announced earlier this year and removing them from our schedule,” Untied said.
“We’re working with impacted customers to find alternative travel options or provide refunds,” the airline continued. “We remain committed to providing important connectivity to these cities and hope to start service from Chicago once the FAA order expires.”
The 10 affected routes were set to launch service from O’Hare to:
- Bloomington-Normal, IL (BMI)
- Champaign-Urbana, IL (CMI)
- Erie, PA (ERI)
- Kalamazoo, MI (AZO)
- La Crosse, WI (LSE)
- Lansing, MI (LAN)
- Marquette, MI (MQT)
- Rochester, MN (RST)
- Tri-Cities, TN (TRI)
- Wausau, WI (CWA)
Federal lawmakers have questioned the need for the FAA to extend the flight cap one year past its initial end date.
“The FAA’s notice of such extension references construction projects as the leading factor in this decision,” wrote U.S. Senator Tammy Duck and Senator Dick Durbin, both from Illinois, in a letter to the FAA. “Yet, through our offices’ discussions with the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA), we understand that construction conditions will improve throughout this summer, with all taxiways and runways open by November 1, 2026.”
The senators have made a formal request for the FAA to provide its rationale for extending the flight reductions by August 15.
“Given ORD is seated at the crossroads of the United States and is necessary to connect flights from coast to coast, any changes or operations at ORD have a ripple-effect on the entire nation’s aviation system,” the senators wrote.
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