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In a bid to alleviate congestion and minimize delays, federal authorities revealed on Thursday that approximately 300 flights will need to be trimmed from Chicago O’Hare International Airport’s daily schedule during peak summer days.
“Our goal is to ensure that when you book a flight, you and your loved ones can travel without facing prolonged delays or cancellations,” stated Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
Renowned for its bustling activity, O’Hare tops the list of U.S. airports in terms of flight volume, yet it also ranked poorly nationwide for flight punctuality last year.
This summer, the airport was set to accommodate over 3,080 daily flights on its busiest days, marking a 14.9% rise from the previous summer, as reported by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration. This increase comes amid ongoing construction that has led to taxiway shutdowns, challenging air traffic controllers.
The federal government’s draft order highlights that both American and United Airlines have outlined expansion plans at O’Hare, potentially causing significant delays and straining the airport’s capacity to manage the anticipated surge in air traffic.
Duffy said that the schedule was unrealistic and would have exceeded what the airport could handle. So the number of flights at the airport will be limited to a maximum of 2,708, which is still slightly higher than maximum of 2,680 flights that were scheduled at the peak of last summer. He said that “will reduce delays and make this busy summer travel season a little easier.”
On slower days of the week, fewer flights will have to be cut because a smaller number was scheduled in the first place. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays are typically slower days of the week for flights.
The flight limits will take effect May 17 and last through Oct. 24.
Airlines will go through the details of the order to figure out how many flights they have to cancel and then will notify customers.
American Airlines said that once implemented, the FAA’s order will improve reliability and reduce delays for customers traveling through O’Hare this summer.
“We are grateful to Secretary Duffy, Administrator Bedford, and their leadership teams for acting swiftly to ensure that Chicagoans and all consumers continue to benefit from sensible competition and to help minimize flight disruptions during the busy summer season,” American said in a statement.
American told employees in a memo that it estimates that it will have to cut no more than 40 arrivals and departures per day, but it estimates that United might have to cut more than 200 arrivals and departures based on the published schedules. United did not provide an estimate of how many flights it will have to cut.
United said the airline appreciates that the government came up with “a solution that makes sense for everyone who cares about O’Hare’s success.”
Both airlines will review the order and their scheduled to determine where to make cuts and then notify travelers who are affected.
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