Summer travel in Chicago: Flight cuts, rising fares and TSA delays expected
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Lines at O'Hare International Airport on March 16. Photo: Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images
The summer outlook for Chicago flights is looking bleak as rising fuel costs, FAA limits and security concerns squeeze air travel after a rocky spring.
Why it matters: Summer is peak vacation travel season, when O'Hare's already heavy traffic is pushed to its limits.
The latest: The war in Iran is driving fuel prices up, which could put pressure on airlines' bottom lines.
- United CEO Scott Kirby warned in a recent memo that sustained high jet fuel prices could add $11 billion in annual costs.
- "For perspective," Kirby wrote, "in United's best year ever, we made less than $5 billion."
Flashback: Last summer was record-setting for traffic at O'Hare. The airport averaged 5.9 daily departures per gate in August, the highest among U.S. hub airports.
Yes, but: This year, United and American Airlines have beefed up their flights even more, straining the country's air traffic control system, according to the FAA.
- The airlines have added over 400 flights this summer, boosting the daily total to over 3,000.
Reality check: The FAA is signaling it may force airlines to scale back closer to last summer's levels, when O'Hare handled around 2,700 daily flights.
- The FAA brought United and American leaders to D.C. in March, but has yet to rule on restricting the number of flights.
The big picture: Fewer flights will cost more and that's before you even get to the airport to deal with long lines for security screenings.
- While the White House is funding TSA agents, Congress has yet to end the temporary government shutdown, which has now lasted 60 days and is smashing shutdown records.
Zoom in: Security could add to the headaches. Sen. Tammy Duckworth is pressing DHS to reinstate stricter screening, including requiring passengers to remove their shoes, after an inspector general report found that current scanners "can't scan shoes," creating a potential vulnerability.
- The push comes as the TSA works to stabilize staffing after weeks of disruption.
What they're saying: "Secretary Noem's willingness to gamble the American people's security in an unsuccessful bid to boost her popularity was, and remains, a stunning failure of leadership," Duckworth wrote in a letter to DHS.
- "Allowing a potentially catastrophic security deficiency to remain in place for seven months and counting betrays TSA's mission."
- Duckworth's demands come as DHS has reportedly ignored the findings in the DHS OIG's report, even after President Trump fired Noem in February.
What to watch for: If all that's not enough to rethink travel plans, here's a reminder that O'Hare is still under construction.
The bottom line: This summer, expect higher fares, fewer flights and longer lines.