American Airlines boasts of growth at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport
American Airlines wants you to know it is committed to Chicago.
Asked at an investor conference on Thursday about the carrier’s plans in the Windy City, Chief Financial Officer Devon May emphasized Chicago’s importance to American. Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) was — and is — its third-largest hub, he said repeatedly.
Up until 2020 and the coronavirus pandemic, the carrier operated some 500 daily departures out of the Midwest airport.
“This year, we’re growing back Chicago,” May said. “We’re growing back Chicago this year,” May said. The airline recently announced seven new or returning routes, including Curacao International Airport, Roanoke Blacksburg Regional Airport in Virginia and St. Maarten’s Princess Juliana International Airport. Since the early 1980s, American has been a fierce competitor with hometown United Airlines for dominance at the airport — and city. It even played a prominent role in the iconic Chicago holiday movie, Home Alone. Since the early 1980s, it has competed fiercely with hometown United Airlines for dominance at the airport — and the city — including playing a prominent role in the iconic Chicago holiday movie, Home Alone.[and]But recent months have seen the airline’s executives be especially vocal about the its Chicago presence; it was a prominent topic on the carrier’s most recent earnings call.
Prior to the pandemic, American was focused on growing three hubs, none of which were O’Hare.
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ZACH GRAFF/THE POINTS GUIDE
Charlotte Douglis International Airport (CLT), Dallas Fort Worth International Airport(DFW) – remember “DFW900” or “Charlotte 700 Executives at the time said that Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) were the airline’s two most profitable bases. Growth in those cities would benefit the entire airline more than adding flights elsewhere, the thinking went.
Rarely did American executives mention Chicago in those pre-pandemic days.
Fighting back
Now, though, American faces a physical threat at O’Hare. According to an agreement signed in 2018 with the Chicago Department of Aviation, American could lose six gates by the end of the year. Cirium schedules show that American flew an average of 349 daily departures last year, and 388 during the peak summer months of June, July, and August.
For comparison, United flew an average 481 daily departures from O’Hare, in 2024, and 496 during the summer months of June, July,and August, according to Cirium data.
May said on Thursday that American’s recovery at O’Hare was hindered by the pilot shortage, which s Cirium schedules show it flew an average of 349 daily departures last year, and 388 departures during the peak summer months of June, July and August.
For comparison, United flew an average of 481 daily departures from O’Hare in 2024, and 496 departures during the summer months of June, July and August, Cirium data shows.
United, which stands to gain gates at O’Hare next year, has advertised around the city that it is “Chicago’s #1 Airline” and offered MileagePlus status matches to other carriers’ frequent flyers.
Read more: American Airlines punches back in Chicago, in ‘fourth inning’ of O’Hare rebuild
May on Thursday said American’s recovery at O’Hare was hindered by the pilot shortage that slowed the recovery of its regional partners after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It came later than we would have liked,” he said of rebuilding American’s O’Hare hub.
While May declined to comment specifically on the gate allocation process, he did say American plans to “fully utilize” its “assets” — or gates — at O’Hare and grow there in the future.
American has sued to stop Chicago from redistributing gates at O’Hare later this year. The case is pending.
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