O'Hare Airport capacity concerns: FAA may limit summer flights
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United Airlines planes sit at gates at O'Hare Airport in November, 2025. Photo: Jim Vondruska/Getty Images
The country's busiest airport may be too busy.
The latest: The Federal Aviation Administration is meeting with United Airlines and American Airlines to pare down the number of flights expected this summer at O'Hare Airport due to capacity issues.
Why it matters: If the FAA doesn't step in, delays and cancellations could run rampant.
What they're saying: "When you're over capacity at an airport, the first thing you would feel are delays," O'Hare's VP Omar Idris said at a media roundtable Tuesday.
Context: At the end of 2025, both major airlines entered into an "arms race," announcing hundreds of new flights, starting as early as this spring.
- There were roughly 2,500 flights (arrivals and departures) a day at the airport last summer. If the FAA doesn't act, that number could balloon to over 3,000 this summer.
Zoom in: O'Hare is currently undergoing a massive expansion plan that will add more gates and concourses for flights through 2032, but it also means some runways and other parts of the airport are under construction.
- The FAA can impose temporary limits when projected schedules exceed safe runway or staffing capacity.
Catch up quick: The clash traces back to October, when United secured five new gates under the city's usage-based formula.
- American sued but lost in court. It then announced more than 100 new flights this spring, which United views as a play to strengthen its claim to future gates.
- United countered with hundreds of additional flights, triggering a scheduling arms race that now has the FAA stepping in.
Between the lines: This airline competition is about controlling gates, especially as more come online during the airport's expansion project.
- Gate control gives you more flights, which means more money for the airline.
The big picture: United blames American for the potential gridlock, saying it only added flights to secure gate space in the future.
- United points out that American has significantly lowered its flight load out of O'Hare in recent years, instead strategically building up flights in Sun Belt airports.
- American Airlines did not respond for comment.
Friction point: The FAA has signaled concern about the projected schedule. It could not only cause problems at O'Hare but also force delays across the country, since Chicago is a massive hub for air travel.
- "The goal for our meeting with the FAA is to make sure any reductions would be fair and proportional across the airlines," United's vice president for state and government affairs, Dan Lynch, said at a media roundtable.
Flashback: This isn't the first time the Trump administration has demanded decreased flight loads.
- In 2025, the FAA began limiting flights at Newark Liberty International Airport due to staffing shortages and ongoing construction. That is slated to continue through 2026.
What's next: The FAA could call both airlines to Washington, D.C., as early as this week.
Reality check: Officials say this is unrelated to recent long security lines and delays tied to the partial government shutdown.
Of note: United says that if you booked a flight and it is affected by the FAA's decision to trim the schedule, they will make sure you can either rebook on a different flight or receive a refund.
The bottom line: In the battle to dominate O'Hare, airlines may be pushing the airport, and the nation's air traffic system, past its limits.