United Airlines Adds Three Routes From Chicago O’Hare and One From Denver

Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) is my home base for half the year. I am back to concentrating on United Airlines‘ status and am always excited when the airline adds new routes. I’ve said it many times, but United truly does have the best route network and it just keeps getting better. Today, United added three new routes from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and brought back one from Denver International Airport (DEN).

NEW: United Airlines will add 3 routes from Chicago (ORD):

• ORD to Ontario (ONT) 1x daily from May 22
• ORD to Billings (BIL) 1x daily from May 22
• ORD to Halifax (YHZ) 1x weekly from May 24

ONT is with the 737-800 while BIL/YHZ are with the E175. pic.twitter.com/eFvBiUWvtZ

— Ishrion Aviation (@IshrionA) January 31, 2025

United Airlines will launch flights to the following locations from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD):

• Billings Logan International Airport (BIL) (1x daily; starts on May 22nd)
• Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ) (1x weekly; starts on May 24th)
• Ontario International Airport (ONT) (up to 4x weekly; starts on May 22nd. This switches to 1x daily on July 25th)

Flights to/from Billings Logan International Airport (BIL) and Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ) will be flown by SkyWest (flying as United Express) with an Embraer E175 with 12 First Class, 16 Economy Plus®, and 48 Economy Class seats. American Airlines will also fly to Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ) 1x weekly on Saturdays from June 21st through October 4th.

United’s new service to/from Ontario International Airport (ONT) will be flown with Boeing 737-800 aircraft. These offer 16 First Class, 48 Economy Plus®, and 102 Economy Class seats.

In addition to the routes being brought to Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), United is going to return to Four Corners Regional Airport (FMN) from Denver International Airport (DEN). United served this route to New Mexico until 2017 and was supposed to bring it back in 2020. The pandemic paused these plans, but the flights will return 1x daily on May 8th. SkyWest Airlines will fly the route on behalf of United using CRJ-200 regional jets. These have 50 seats in an all Economy Class configuration.

Nate Duckett, Mayor of Farmington, said:

Since 2017, the City of Farmington has been steadfast in its mission to bring commercial jet air service to Four Corners Regional Airport. Although a 2019 agreement with SkyWest Airlines to launch service in 2020 was derailed by the unprecedented challenges of that year, we have remained resolute in pursuing this goal. We are excited to welcome SkyWest, the nation’s number one regional carrier, and we are confident the region’s demand will support a 50-seat jet, with the potential for additional flights and destinations as interest grows. This milestone marks a significant achievement for Farmington and the surrounding areas, enhancing both quality of life and economic opportunities throughout the Four Corners.”

Cody Thomas, Managing Director of Market Development at SkyWest Airlines, added:

We’re excited to bring this new United Express service to the four corners area. Little is more important to a community than quality air service. With just one flight from FMN, passengers can easily connect to hundreds of destinations worldwide on United’s global network through Denver.”

Anthony’s Take: United has dropped 41 cities since the start of the pandemic. While it has added many far-flung destinations, it’s great to see it beefing up its domestic options.

(Image Credits: Christian Lambert and United Airlines.)