A United jet taxies at O'Hare.
United Airlines has removed more than 9,000 departures from its summer schedule at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), trimming flying at its largest hub after the Federal Aviation Administration imposed operating limits for the peak travel season.
Data from OAG Schedules Analyser shows United plans to cut 9,088 departures from ORD between June and August compared with previously filed schedules, marking a 7.6% reduction in planned operations. The revised schedule shows United now operating 60,954 departures and 7.33 million departure seats during the three-month period, down from 70,042 departures and 7.93 million seats in earlier filings.
The cuts come after FAA in April finalized summer flight caps at ORD, limiting the airport to 2,708 daily operations from May 17 through Oct. 24. The agency said the restrictions were needed to avoid severe congestion during the summer peak, citing a sharp increase in scheduled operations, ongoing airfield construction and pressure on runway, terminal and air traffic control systems.
A total of 10 United destinations have been removed from the carrier’s summer ORD schedule: Bloomington/Normal, Illinois; Bristol/Johnson/Kingsport, Tennesse; Champaign/Urbana, Illinois; Erie, Pennsylvania; Kalamazoo/Battle Creek, Michigan; La Crosse, Wisconsin; Lansing, Michigan; Marquette, Michigan; Rochester, Minnesota; and Wausau, Wisconsin.
The Star Alliance member has also made frequency cuts across several short-haul markets. Madison, Wisconsin, sees the largest reduction, with 245 fewer flights than previously planned, followed by Lexington Blue Grass, Kentucky, with 213 fewer departures; Grand Rapids, Michigan, down 201; Green Bay, Wisconsin, down 183; and Des Moines, Iowa, down 179.
Despite the reductions, ORD remains United’s largest planned summer schedule on record by seats. The carrier’s revised June-August 2026 schedule is still up 17.1% year on year in flight departures and 15.9% in seats compared with the same period in 2025, highlighting how aggressively United had planned to expand at its hometown hub before federal intervention.
United is still set to remain ORD’s largest carrier during the June-August period, with a 48% share of scheduled seats, according to current OAG data. American Airlines will account for 34.3%, and Delta Air Lines 3.6%.
American and Delta also have reduced ORD schedules—although less sharply. Delta has trimmed planned summer capacity by 2.4% and American by 1.7%, based on schedules filed during the week of May 4 compared with filings made the previous week.
The FAA’s order followed a rapid buildup in planned summer flying at ORD, where American and United had been escalating capacity in a competitive push for share. FAA said scheduled operations for the peak summer period had surged 15% year on year and were on track to exceed 3,080 daily flights on peak days, a level the agency warned would strain airport infrastructure and risk repeating the severe delays that plagued ORD last summer.
FAA said its 2,708 daily flight limit was designed to maximize throughput without producing delays worse than those seen in summer 2025. The agency allocated cuts proportionally using summer 2025 schedules as a baseline, saying that approach would largely preserve the competitive balance at ORD while easing congestion.
Current schedules show United plans to restore the cut regional markets at the start of the winter 2026-27 season, including Bloomington/Normal, Bristol/Johnson/Kingsport, Champaign/Urbana, Erie, Kalamazoo/Battle Creek, La Crosse, Lansing, Rochester and Wausau. Marquette is not currently listed in OAG schedules for that period, but the airport has said service will begin Oct. 25.
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