Federal officials on Thursday ordered airlines to cut about 300 flights a day from Chicago O’Hare International Airport on the busiest days this summer, a move aimed at easing the airport’s long-running delay problem before peak travel begins.
The limits take effect May 17 and will stay in place through Oct. 24, capping the airport at 2,708 flights on the busiest days. That is still above last summer’s peak of 2,680 flights, but well below the more than 3,080 flights airlines had planned for peak days this year, a schedule that would have been up 14.9% from the summer before.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the point was to give travelers something the airport has not reliably offered in recent summers: certainty. “If you book a ticket, we want you and your family to have the certainty that you’ll fly without endless delays and cancellations,” he said. He also said the move “will reduce delays and make this busy summer travel season a little easier.”
The order matters most because O’Hare had one of the worst records for flight delays nationwide last year, and the airport is already under pressure from taxiway closures tied to construction projects. On top of that, American Airlines and United had announced expansion plans that federal officials said could push traffic beyond what the airport could handle during the summer rush.
American told employees it expects to cut no more than 40 arrivals and departures a day. Based on published schedules, it estimated United could have to cut more than 200 arrivals and departures. United said it appreciates “a solution that makes sense for everyone who cares about O’Hare’s success.” American said it was grateful to Duffy, Administrator Bedford and their leadership teams for acting swiftly to help minimize flight disruptions during the busy summer season.
The schedule reductions will not fall evenly across the week. Fewer flights will need to be cut on slower days because fewer were planned in the first place, with Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays typically the lightest travel days. Airlines will review the order and notify customers affected by the changes.
The federal move does not solve O’Hare’s underlying strain, but it does force a smaller summer schedule onto an airport already running close to its limits. For travelers, the practical answer is immediate: fewer flights at the height of the season, and a better chance that the ones still on the board will actually depart.