Big Airline Clash at Chicago O’Hare and FAA’s Plan to Cut Flights

American Airlines and United are fighting over gate space at Chicago O’Hare, a battle that has pushed the airport to its limits. The dispute began when American lost several gates because it didn’t rebuild its schedule quickly enough after the pandemic, a move that came sooner than lease agreements would normally allow. American is trying to keep the gates it still has, even buying extra slots from Spirit Airlines. United, on the other hand, wants to stop American from expanding and has been adding more flights of its own. United plans the biggest summer schedule it has ever run in Chicago, covering 222 destinations—175 inside the U. S. and 47 abroad—with up to 750 flights a day, about 25 % more than in 2019. American is aiming for over 180 destinations, about 183, and has returned to roughly pre‑pandemic levels with just over 500 flights daily. The airport’s traffic is already too high for the FAA to allow, so the agency will force a cut in operations. It will hold a “scheduling reduction” process and then issue an operating limits order for the summer of 2026, covering March 29 to October 25. Current peak daily takeoffs and landings are about 3, 080, compared with 2, 680 last summer; the FAA believes 2, 800 are manageable.This means a reduction of roughly 280 movements per peak day—about nine percent of today’s schedule. The FAA will start the process with remarks on March 3 and formal discussions on March 4, inviting all airlines that serve or could serve O’Hare to participate. The agency will provide a 30‑minute demand picture for the whole day, identify congested periods, and set general reduction targets. Then it will meet privately with each carrier to hear their proposed cuts and schedule changes, before publishing a final order in the Federal Register that limits specific carriers. Only U. S. airlines are affected; foreign carriers remain unchanged. American praised the FAA for protecting airfield and airspace integrity, hoping the cuts will improve passenger experience this summer. United’s growth outpaces American’s at O’Hare, so American expects United to face larger cuts. Even if both airlines cut nine percent of their schedules, United would lose more flights, potentially lowering fares and hurting both carriers. Cuts will target 30‑minute windows where traffic is heaviest, making it easier to remove frequent short‑haul regional jet flights. Recent additions are likely candidates for removal: United’s new services to 17 destinations use regional jets, while only four routes use larger 737s.