CHICAGO — A dispute between American Airlines and United Airlines over routes and gates at O’Hare International Airport has prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to propose cutting flights this summer to avert a potential operational breakdown.
American CEO Robert Isom blamed United for the looming gridlock, telling investors that United’s aggressive scheduling risked overwhelming Chicago. United CEO Scott Kirby pushed back, saying the Department of Transportation’s intervention to force more balanced schedules would resolve the issue.
The FAA, alarmed by rapid growth in daily operations, filed notices this year proposing limits on takeoffs and landings at O’Hare. After data showed daily movements could rise from nearly 2,700 last summer to more than 3,000 this year, the agency warned that such growth could strain runways, terminals and air-traffic control. In February the FAA floated a cap of 2,800 daily operations; a March filing suggested an even lower cap near 2,600. Chicago aviation officials say FAA staff discussed figures as low as 2,400 during meetings.
O’Hare’s situation is unusual: it is now the busiest U.S. airport by takeoffs and landings and houses major hubs for both American and United. “No other airport in the world is like this,” said Joe Schwieterman, a transportation professor at DePaul University. With two global hubs operating side by side, both carriers have rapidly increased flights in a fight for market share — a pace that caught FAA attention.
Some industry observers welcomed the FAA’s preemptive stance. William McGee, a former airline operations official and now a senior fellow at the American Economic Liberties Project, said the agency typically waits for delays and cancellations to mount before intervening. The FAA sharply restricted operations at Newark last year after air-traffic control issues and runway work created chaos; officials say they’re trying to avoid a similar summer crisis at O’Hare by acting earlier.
The FAA has held meetings with airlines and the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA), which runs O’Hare, but regulators have not finalized a plan. Public comments filed by the CDA called the proposed reductions “unwarranted” and “regressive,” arguing that recent airport expansion has boosted capacity and reduced delays and that O’Hare can handle 2,800 daily operations. The CDA also said FAA staff privately discussed lower caps and urged regulators to reconsider.
Airlines have publicly signaled support for some reductions. Schwieterman noted that carriers might be willing to trim less popular routes amid rising fuel costs, especially if cuts are coordinated so neither airline gains an advantage. “They’re kind of frozen into their plans unless they both do something in unison,” he said, suggesting the FAA could inject a measure of rationality into scheduling decisions.
Passengers offered mixed views. Ferrari Benton, a United loyalist from Chicago, said she wouldn’t want nonstop flights cut at her preferred airport and would rather see more staff and flights. Gary Smith of Naperville, a longtime local, said cutting flights could ease congestion but acknowledged it would inconvenience some travelers.
The FAA’s actions mark an unusually assertive attempt to manage capacity at a major U.S. airport before problems materialize, reflecting concerns about concentrated hub competition and infrastructure limits at one of the nation’s busiest aviation centers.
NPR’s Joel Rose reported from Washington, D.C., and Jessica Pupovac contributed from Chicago.
