BY MIRABEL ODETA
United Airlines on Tuesday announced its largest-ever summer schedule at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, sharply escalating competition with rival American Airlines for gates, premium passengers, and long-term dominance in the nation’s third-largest city.
The expansion underscores how critical Chicago remains to both carriers as they vie for control of one of the last major U.S. airports where two full-scale huboperators still compete side by side.
The Chicago-based carrier said it expects to operate a record 750 daily departures from O’Hare during the upcoming summer season, an increase of nearly 170 flights compared with the same period last year. The move follows recent remarks by United Chief Executive Officer Scott Kirby, who said the airline would add as many flights as necessary to prevent American from gaining additional gates at United’s expense in 2026.
O’Hare is unique among large U.S. airports in that access to gates and the most valuable takeoff and landing slots is closely tied to the volume of flights an airline operates. As a result, increasing departures not only boosts near-term capacity but also protects future growth and strengthens an airline’s ability to attract lucrative business travelers. With corporate travel rebounding and competition intensifying, maintaining scale at O’Hare has become a strategic priority.
Chicago’s importance extends beyond local demand. As the third-largest air travel market in the United States and the second-largest for corporate traffic, the city plays a vital role in connecting coast-to-coast routes as well as transatlantic and transpacific flights. Its central location makes O’Hare a critical hub for airlines seeking to efficiently link domestic and international networks.
United executives said the expanded schedule is designed to reflect what travelers want and where demand is strongest. The airline plans to offer nonstop service from O’Hare to 222 destinations in 2026, including 47 international cities and 175 domestic markets. The additions span a mix of high-demand business routes and popular leisure destinations, reinforcing United’s strategy of balancing corporate and consumer travel.
The growth also signals a broader push to deepen United’s presence across the Midwest, including Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin, while simultaneously strengthening its footprint in major coastal and business-focused markets such as Boston, Nashville, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Dallas. Company leaders say this approach allows United to capture both regional loyalty and long-haul demand.
American Airlines, meanwhile, has been working to rebuild its Chicago operation after post-pandemic flying failed to return to pre-2019 levels as quickly as some competitors. Over the past year, American has expanded its O’Hare network to more than 180 destinations and continues to add routes. This week, the carrier began selling tickets for new flights to Allentown, Pennsylvania; Columbia, South Carolina; and Kahului, Hawaii, signaling its intent to remain competitive in the market.
Industry data highlight just how rapid the expansion at O’Hare has become. According to Airlines for America, the airport is experiencing the fastest seat-capacity growth among major U.S. airports this quarter. Average daily departures in the first quarter are about 25 percent higher than in early 2024, with peak summer schedules projected to exceed 1,300 total flights per day. That represents roughly 250 more daily flights than just two years ago.
Such rapid growth can sometimes pressure fares and profits if too many seats enter the market at once. However, United executives have downplayed those concerns, saying demand is rising alongside capacity. The airline estimates it holds roughly a 19-percentage-point lead over American in local market share and a 38-point advantage among corporate travelers, marking the widest gaps between the two carriers in decades.
Gate access remains a central issue shaping competition at O’Hare. United currently operates about half of all scheduled flights at the airport, compared with roughly one-third for American, according to industry data. A city-led gate reallocation late last year awarded United five additional gates while reducing American’s total by four. Since then, American has acquired two gates from bankrupt Spirit Airlines and is expected to regain more access as its flight activity increases.
Kirby told analysts recently that United earned approximately $500 million in Chicago last year, while American lost a similar amount, warning that those losses could widen significantly by 2026. American has pushed back on those claims, calling them inconsistent and unsubstantiated, and says it is gaining local market share and enrolling more loyalty program members.
United argues that years of sustained investment at O’Hare are now paying dividends. The airline points to improved on-time performance, fewer cancellations, and continued infrastructure upgrades. It also plans to hire an additional 2,500 employees at the airport this year and is rolling out enhancements such as Airbus A321neo aircraft, expanded lounges, and Starlink Wi-Fi, now available on about a third of flights departing O’Hare.
Company leaders say the aggressive expansion ultimately comes down to serving passengers better while securing United’s long-term position in one of the most competitive aviation markets in the country.
Original article
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