O'Hare flight caps

The Federal Aviation Administration is capping summer flights at Chicago O’Hare at 2,708 a day after airlines scheduled more service than the airport could reliably handle. (faa.gov) The cap takes effect May 17 and runs through Oct. 24, 2026, covering the busiest stretch of the summer travel season. The order was published in the Federal Register for April 20. (federalregister.gov) The Transportation Department and the FAA said airlines had planned more than 3,080 flights on peak summer days at O’Hare, up 14.9% from summer 2025. The new ceiling is roughly 372 fewer daily operations than that peak schedule. (faa.gov) Federal regulators said fewer than 60% of O’Hare arrivals and departures were on time last summer. They also pointed to gate constraints, taxiway closures from construction, and what the order called “competitive scheduling dynamics” between the airport’s two biggest airlines. (faa.gov) (federalregister.gov) The order does not turn O’Hare into a slot-controlled airport like LaGuardia or Reagan National. O’Hare remains a Level 2 “schedule facilitation” airport, where the Federal Aviation Administration reviews proposed schedules to keep traffic within the airport’s practical limits. (faa.gov) That distinction matters because the Federal Aviation Administration said it based the cap on carriers’ approved summer 2025 schedules, not on the bigger flight plans some airlines filed later for 2026. The agency began that process with a public notice on Feb. 27, held meetings on March 3 and March 4, and accepted written submissions through March 11. (federalregister.gov) (faa.gov) The Federal Aviation Administration said the goal is not fewer travelers but fewer unrealistic schedules that collapse into delays once storms, construction, and crowded taxiways hit the system. The order says 2,708 daily operations is the level that can maximize O’Hare’s summer capacity without producing delays worse than summer 2025. (federalregister.gov) For airlines, that means trimming or retiming flights and giving up some peak-hour ambitions. For passengers, it means some itineraries will shift before departure rather than unravel at the airport after departure boards fill with delays. (faa.gov) The order expires Oct. 24, and the Federal Aviation Administration said progress on O’Hare airfield construction could reduce the need for limits after the summer season ends. Until then, the agency is betting that a smaller schedule is the only way to make one of the country’s busiest airports run closer to plan. (federalregister.gov)