Airlines increase flights at major US airport as rivalry heats up – what it means for travelers

United Airlines and American Airlines are vying for dominance at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Both major passenger carriers have been aggressively ramping up operations before the upcoming summer travel season.

On Tuesday, United Airlines announced that it plans to have its biggest summer at O'Hare, with a record 750 flights a day. This is about 200 more flights than its next largest competitor and the largest schedule ever flown by any airline operating at the airport, according to United.

In 2026, the Chicago-based airline will offer nonstop service to 222 destinations from the airport, which is 38 more than its next largest competitor, according to the airline. This includes 47 international cities across Europe, Asia and South America as well as 175 U.S. destinations. 

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Starting in April, the airline said it is also strengthening connectivity across the Midwest with five new routes from Chicago to Champaign–Urbana, Illinois; Kalamazoo, Michigan; Lansing, Michigan; La Crosse, Wisconsin; and Bloomington–Normal, Illinois.

More than 80 cities will also receive additional flights to give customers more options from Chicago, including destinations like Boston, Nashville, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Dallas, further highlighting how United is positioning its Chicago hub to become the third-largest hub operated by any airline in the U.S.

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"We have spent the past decade building and executing a strategy that is focused on winning brand loyal customers by giving them more value when they fly United – and nowhere is that more apparent than in Chicago," said Omar Idris, United's vice president of O'Hare, adding that "this growth at O'Hare highlights our commitment to invest in our network, customers and hiring in the city we call home."

Just days before United announced its expanded schedule, American Airlines announced a slate of new routes from its hub in Chicago. This included new service next winter between Chicago and Maui/Kahului, Hawaii, as well as new flights to Allentown, Pennslyvannia, and Columbia, South Carolina. 

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The carrier is also boosting operations from its hub in Los Angeles as well, but there has been a particular focus on boosting its Chicago operation. The airline said that the city "has remained an important part of the airline’s story" since the late 1920s. Over the past year alone, the Chicago network has grown significantly, giving local residents more access to more than 180 destinations.

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Last year, the airline added service from Chicago to 29 new destinations such as Naples, Italy and St. Croix, St. Maarten. 

American also plans to offer more than 500 peak daily departures as Americans start to enjoy spring break.