FAA Mandate Forces United Airlines To Cut Over 100 Daily Flights At 'Hometown' O'Hare

The Trump Administration announced last month a flight cap this summer on all airlines at the Chicago airport due to "endless" delays.

By Eric DeGrechie, Patch Staff

May 1, 2026 11:48 am CDT

United Airlines is the only major U.S. carrier headquartered in Chicago. (Courtesy of Rick Uldricks)

CHICAGO — As a result of a new mandate by the Federal Aviation Administration that places a cap on flights on all airlines operating out of Chicago O'Hare International Airport, United Airlines has announced it will reduce daily flights by more than 100 at the "world's busiest" airport in June.

In a letter to the company's employees shared with Patch, Vice President Omar Idris said updates to the number of flights planned for the remaining summer months will "follow shortly."

United Airlines is the only major U.S. carrier headquartered in Chicago.

, the Trump Administration said it will be reducing flights at O'Hare due to "endless" delays and cancellations.

According to the FAA, the move is intended to improve operations at O'Hare in time for the summer, claiming that less than 60 percent of arrivals and departures were on time during the 2025 season.

"If you book a ticket, we want you and your family to have the certainty that you'll fly without endless delays and cancellations," U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said.

Through the end of October, the mandate calls for the maximum number of flights at O'Hare to be 2,708 per day. For United, that translates to lowering June's daily flights to 650 from the previous schedule of 780 flights per day.

United Airlines said that despite the decline in flights in June, departures out of O'Hare this year are still up 11 percent from 2025.

"Chicago is our hometown, and because of the success we have had in winning brand loyal
customers, we are the leading airline at ORD with a significantly larger presence than our
competitors," said Idris, who added that the airline is working with Duffy on a plan that will allow operations to run smoothly during the busy summer months.

In April, O'Hare International Airport was named the busiest airfield in the world, by Airports Council International World, a title it last held in 2019. Last year, O'Hare recorded 860,015 aircraft operations, a 10.8 percent increase over 2024. That pace equals one takeoff or landing every 37 seconds, around the clock, every day of the year, according to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Chicago Department of Aviation.

"Being home to the busiest airport in the world is a point of pride for every Chicagoan," Mayor Brandon Johnson said. "It reflects our city’s enduring strength as a global economic engine, even in complex and evolving times. Chicago sets the pace, and the world takes notice."