Flying Through Chicago This Summer? The FAA Just Capped O’Hare Flights

If you’re flying through Chicago O’Hare this summer, get ready for some changes. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) plans to limit how many flights can take off and land each day, saying airlines have packed the schedule beyond what the airport can handle.

Chicago, Illinois, USA - Dec 29 2022 : Interior of the busy and crowded Chicago O'Hare Airport

O’Hare was headed for its busiest summer ever

On paper, this summer was about to be huge for O’Hare.

Airlines filed schedules with more than 3,080 daily takeoffs and landings on peak days, compared with about 2,680 peak operations last summer.
Right now, the airport is running around 2,800 daily operations, which the FAA says is about the limit of what the runways, terminals, and air traffic control can safely manage with current staffing and infrastructure.

The FAA says that jumping to 3,000-plus daily operations would “stress the runway, terminal, and air traffic control systems” and risk major disruption for travelers.

So for the summer season from March 29 through October 25, the agency wants to cap daily operations at about 2,800.

United and American were both planning big increases

Two of O’Hare’s biggest players, United and American, were already gearing up for a big summer push.

United Airlines plans to operate around 780 flights per day from O’Hare this month, up from an average of 541 per day last year. That includes a 20% increase in mainline departures over last summer.
American Airlines said it would add 100 additional daily departures, a 30% increase in spring departures compared to 2025, bringing its daily flights from 484 last summer to 526 this summer.

Both airlines publicly backed the FAA’s move, saying the effort should help protect the reliability of operations at one of the country’s most critical hubs.

My take as someone who flies through Chicago a lot

I connect through O’Hare constantly, mostly on United, and it already feels packed most days. I’ve had plenty of flights land, crawl around the airport, and then sit because there isn’t a gate open yet. The place is busy, and you can feel it.

From where I sit as a traveler, holding the line at 2,800 daily flights sounds reasonable. I’d rather have fewer scheduled flights that actually leave and arrive close to on time than a bloated schedule that looks great on paper and turns into hours of delays and exhausted crews in real life.

It’s not going to turn O’Hare into a relaxing experience, but if this cap keeps the summer from turning into a complete mess, that’s a win for anyone trying to make a connection in Chicago.

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