Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links below. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) is one of United’s hubs and my home airport half the year. The carrier announced today that it plans to grow further in Chicago by adding six more gates to its operation.
Crain’s Chicago Business reports that United is continuing to grow at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and thanks to a use-it-or-lose-it provision in a contract that it signed in 2018, the airline has exclusive rights to these six gates. United currently operates 88 gates out of Chicago and flies 52% of departures from the airport. Interestingly, it only holds 48% of the gates. Omar Idris, United’s Vice President for Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), said:
Over the past several years, United has made significant investments in growing our operation and our team at O’Hare. We’re flying more seats from Chicago than we have in the past 20 years and hired nearly 2,000 employees in Illinois last year. Now, we are set to reap the rewards of our commitment to Chicago. Since we have been growing at O’Hare, United expects to gain six gates.Our growth is not just beneficial for United’s customers and employees. It also contributes significantly to the economy of Chicago and Illinois as a whole.Through this expanded footprint, we can better ensure our hometown hub can compete with hubs like Atlanta and Dallas-Fort Worth, which have overtaken O’Hare in total destinations, daily departures, daily departing seats and overall aircraft size among other metrics. As one of the most competitive aviation markets and one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country, United is committed to expanding our operation and reversing those trends.”
United maintained its fleet during the pandemic and bounced back quickly. It has increased service at all seven of its hubs and is flying larger planes with more seats than ever before. Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) is the second busiest US airport in terms of flights, but fourth when counting seats.
Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) is in the midst of adding a new satellite concourse next to Terminal 1. This project will cost $6.1 billion and take several years to complete. Travel is still in hot demand and United’s route network is the best of any US carrier. This summer, United will operate 585 flights a day from the airport, which is an increase from the 510 it flew in July 2024. While this still trails the 625 flights a day it flew during the summer of 2019, it’s flying 6% more seats due to employing larger aircraft.
Anthony’s Take: I’m excited to see my home base growing. United already occupies pretty much all of Terminal 1 and much of Terminal 2. More gates will hopefully equal even more destinations served.
User Generated Content Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat encourages constructive discussions, comments, and questions. Responses are not provided by or commissioned by any bank advertisers. These responses have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the responsibility of the bank advertiser to respond to comments.
Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
