United Airlines ramps up Chicago flights as O’Hare rivalry with American Airlines heats up

By Rajesh Kumar Singh

CHICAGO, Jan 27 (Reuters) – United Airlines on Tuesday unveiled its biggest-ever summer schedule at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, escalating its battle with American Airlines for gates and higher-fare passengers in the third-biggest U.S. city.

Chicago-based United said it expected to operate a record 750 daily departures from O’Hare this summer season, up nearly 170 from a year earlier. The expansion came just days after CEO Scott Kirby vowed to add “as many flights as are required” to stop American from gaining additional gates at United’s expense in 2026.

O’Hare is one of the few major U.S. airports where two large carriers still operate full hub networks side by side. Gate access, and the most valuable takeoff and landing times, generally go to the airlines that fly the most. Adding departures therefore protects future growth and the ability to compete for business travelers.

Chicago, the third-largest U.S. air travel market and the second-largest for corporate traffic, matters to both carriers. The city’s central location makes it a key connecting point for coast-to-coast and transatlantic or transpacific flights.

“We’re going to build a schedule that our passengers want to fly,” Patrick Quayle, United’s senior vice president of global network planning, told reporters.

CHICAGO GROWTH PLAN

United said it will fly nonstop from O’Hare to 222 destinations in 2026 — 47 international cities and 175 U.S. cities – as it adds services to a mix of business routes and leisure markets.

The expansion reflects a strategy of deepening its Midwest presence across Illinois, Michigan and Wisconsin while strengthening its position in major coastal and business markets such as Boston, Nashville, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Dallas.

American, which is trying to rebuild its Chicago operation after its post-pandemic flying lagged 2019 levels, has also been expanding. Over the past year it has grown its O’Hare network to more than 180 destinations. This week it began selling tickets for new flights to Allentown, Pennsylvania, Columbia, South Carolina and Kahului, Hawaii.

Industry data highlight the scale of the buildup. Airlines for America says O’Hare is posting the fastest seat-capacity growth among major U.S. airports this quarter. Average daily departures in the first quarter are about 25% higher than in early 2024, with summer peaks projected above 1,300 total flights a day — roughly 250 more per day than two years ago.

That kind of growth can backfire if too many seats hit the market at once, pushing down fares and profits. But Quayle dismissed those worries, saying demand is rising along with United’s added capacity.

He said United estimates it has about a 19-percentage-point lead over American in local market share and a 38-point advantage among corporate travelers — both the widest gaps in decades.

WHY SCHEDULE SIZE MATTERS

Gate access remains central at O’Hare, shaping how many flights airlines can schedule and how reliably they can operate. United operates roughly half of all scheduled flights at the airport, compared with about a third for American, according to Cirium.

A city-led reallocation late last year awarded United five additional gates and cut American’s total by four. American has since acquired two gates from bankrupt Spirit Airlines and is expected to regain further access as its flying increases.

Kirby told analysts last week United earned about $500 million in Chicago last year while American lost a similar amount, warning those losses could widen to $1 billion in 2026.

American has dismissed Kirby’s claims as “inconsistent” and “unsubstantiated,” and says it is gaining local market share and signing up more loyalty members.

United says years of investment at O’Hare are paying off. The airline points to improved on-time performance and fewer cancellations and says it plans to hire another 2,500 people at the airport this year. Executives also cite upgrades including Airbus A321neo aircraft, expanded lounges and Starlink Wi-Fi now on about a third of flights from O’Hare.

“It’s about serving our customers,” Quayle said.

(Reporting by Rajesh Kumar Singh; Editing by Jamie Freed)