By Rajesh Kumar Singh
CHICAGO, April 16 (Reuters) – The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday capped summer flights at Chicago O’Hare, stepping into an escalating battle between United Airlines and American Airlines after a surge in schedules threatened to overwhelm the airport.
The agency will limit O’Hare to 2,708 arrivals and departures a day from May 17 through October 24, forcing carriers to scale back plans and effectively holding operations near last year’s levels to avoid a repeat of widespread delays.
The move draws a regulatory line under a capacity race between the two carriers at one of the country’s most important hubs, underscoring the limits of growth at airports facing infrastructure constraints.
COMPETITION CHECKED
The FAA said O’Hare’s overscheduling reflected competitive scheduling dynamics between the airport’s two largest carriers and rejected calls to use newer summer 2026 schedules as the baseline, saying that could encourage airlines to file unrealistic schedules to improve their negotiating posture.
United and American have both been expanding in Chicago, as they compete for market share at one of the country’s most important hubs.
Published schedules for peak summer 2026 days had climbed above 3,080 daily operations — nearly 15% higher than a year earlier — even as construction and other constraints persist, the FAA said.
Last summer’s performance showed the risks. Only about 56% of departures and 58% of arrivals operated on time as congestion and construction slowed traffic.
DELAYS FORCE INTERVENTION
Rather than allow airlines to test those limits again, regulators intervened early, setting a cap they said would prevent delays from worsening.
“If you book a ticket, we want you and your family to have the certainty that you’ll fly without endless delays and cancellations,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
United said it was reviewing the order and would outline next steps once that review is complete.
American said it supports the move, calling it a way to preserve “sensible competition” while minimizing disruptions during the busy summer season. The carrier said it had secured enough flights under the FAA’s plan to run a successful hub at O’Hare and meet its strategic goals, adding the limits would help improve reliability and reduce delays for travelers.
The reductions will be allocated based on airlines’ approved summer 2025 schedules, curbing more recent growth plans and limiting the ability of carriers to gain share through last-minute additions.
The restrictions are intended as a temporary measure tied to construction and are set to expire at the end of the summer travel season.
Airlines that breach the cap could face penalties of up to $75,000 per flight.
(Reporting by Rajesh Kumar Singh in Chicago; Editing by Nick Zieminski)
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