O'Hare's record summer has travelers going nowhere fast
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United Airlines planes at O'Hare Airport in August. Photo: Marcin Golba/NurPhoto via Getty Images
O'Hare International Airport just had its busiest summer ever. But for passengers spending what feels like an eternity taxiing to the runway, it might have felt like the longest, too.
Why it matters: Chicago officials are celebrating record traffic at O'Hare, but the airport's notoriously long taxi times raise questions about whether all that activity is coming at the expense of the passenger experience.
By the numbers: More than 25 million passengers traveled through O'Hare from June through August, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation.
- The airport recorded 245,719 takeoffs and landings during the summer, up 6% from the same period last year.
- Through August, aircraft operations were up 10.3% compared with 2025.
Yes, but: O'Hare also has the nation's longest aircraft taxi times, according to a July WGN Investigates report analyzing federal aviation data.
- Departing flights spent an average of more than 28 minutes taxiing from the gate to takeoff, while arriving flights spent more than 18 minutes getting to the gate.
- About one in six departing flights spent more than 40 minutes taxiing, according to the analysis.
What they're saying: "This is not a metric in which it is good to have the highest number among major airports," DePaul University transportation expert Joe Schwieterman tells Axios.
- He says O'Hare's size, ongoing construction and dramatic flight growth have combined to increase taxi times.
The big picture: Airlines like United and American have been adding flights, prompting the FAA to impose limits on daily operations amid congestion concerns.
Zoom in: Travelers are sharing their taxiing horror stories on social media, where viral posts about lengthy waits are piling up.
The other side: Despite the recent report and passenger frustrations, United Airlines says O'Hare's average taxi-in times are the lowest since March.
- United credits favorable weather, adjustments to reduce flights at peak times and new taxiway connections near Terminal 2 designed to ease congestion.
Reality check: The Chicago Department of Aviation says major runway and taxiway construction that has significantly affected taxi times is complete. That could give passengers some relief.
- The department says taxi times are also influenced by airline schedules, air traffic control staffing, gate availability, weather and runway distances.
- It expects additional gates from ORDNext to help ease congestion.
The bottom line: Chicago loves breaking records. Travelers might prefer breaking free of the taxiway.