FAA orders O'Hare flight cuts

The Federal Aviation Administration is forcing airlines to trim Chicago O’Hare’s summer schedule after carriers planned more flights than the airport could reliably handle. (faa.gov) The order caps O’Hare at 2,708 total daily arrivals and departures from May 17 through October 24, 2026. Airlines had filed schedules with as many as 3,080 daily flights on peak days, nearly 400 above the new limit. (faa.gov) The Federal Aviation Administration said the cap is tied to summer runway and taxiway construction and to air traffic control limits at one of the country’s busiest hubs. The agency said O’Hare’s proposed peak schedule was 400 operations above last summer. (transportation.gov) At airports like O’Hare, airlines file schedules months ahead, and the Federal Aviation Administration can step in when those plans outrun the number of flights the airfield and controllers can move safely. The final order says the summer allotment will be based on each airline’s approved summer 2025 schedule. (federalregister.gov) The move lands in the middle of a fight between United Airlines and American Airlines over how much flying each carrier should control at O’Hare. Both airlines had planned summer increases as gate access and market share in Chicago became more valuable. (chicagotribune.com) Federal officials framed the cuts as a reliability measure after O’Hare posted some of the nation’s worst delay numbers last year. The Associated Press reported that O’Hare handled more flights than any other U.S. airport and still ranked near the bottom for on-time performance. (apnews.com) Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said travelers should be able to book a ticket “without endless delays and cancellations.” The Federal Aviation Administration said airlines and the Chicago Department of Aviation negotiated the final cap after the agency first floated a lower limit. (faa.gov, chicago.suntimes.com) For passengers, the immediate effect is fewer flights for sale on the busiest summer days, not a shutdown of the airport. The Federal Aviation Administration’s bet is that a smaller schedule at O’Hare will produce fewer missed connections, cancellations, and hours-long delays between mid-May and late October. (usatoday.com)