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In February, I wrote about the absolutely crazy number of flights that United Airlines was planning to fly to/from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) this summer. American fired back with increases of its own. United is hellbent on owning the airport and was planning to flood the market to negatively impact American Airlines. Now, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has stepped in and ordered airlines to scale back operations at the airport by cutting scheduled flights by approximately 12% during the peak summer travel period.
The reduction will apply between May 17th and October 24th. Travel demand (and delays) typically surge during this time and the FAA is trying to get in front of issues. According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, departures were on track to increase by nearly 20% compared to last summer. United had planned its busiest Chicago schedule ever. That’s about to change.
While more flights can mean increased options and potentially lower fares, the surge also put immense strain on airport infrastructure that was already struggling to keep up. It’s not great if you get a cheap seat, but spend hours delayed, taxiing, or waiting for a gate.
Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) experienced significant operational challenges last summer. Only about 50% of flights departed on time. An encore would have upset passengers and wreaked havoc in Chicago. The FAA is trying to stop this before it starts. Under the new directive, airlines will need to remove hundreds of flights from their schedules.
The flight cuts will primarily impact domestic operations, meaning many US routes in and out of the airport will see adjustments. Foreign carriers will not be affected. Long-haul flights should continue operating as scheduled. Expect to hear from the airline if you’re booked on an impacted flight (and you can always check the schedule online).
Anthony’s Take: I could not believe how many flights were going to be offered this summer and questioned how they would all operate. United is going to need to find another way to drive American out of Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD). Maybe it should just buy the airline (I kid).
(Image Credits: United Airlines.)
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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.
