As the FAA steps in to resolve overscheduling at Chicago O’Hare, American Airlines is placing the blame squarely on rival United.
In a message to employees, the carrier said “senior representatives” will participate in a meeting with the FAA on Wednesday to work through the issue, and took a jab at its competitor.
“Today, the FAA is bringing together airlines for a ‘schedule reduction meeting’ in Washington, D.C., to proactively address and reduce the overscheduling at ORD, driven by United,” the airline said. “Based on published schedules for summer 2026, the airport is scheduled well beyond what it can operationally handle, even on a good weather day – a trajectory that puts ORD on track for significant delays this summer and risks repeating the challenges experienced at Newark (EWR) last year.”
Both American and United have expanded their summer schedules at O’Hare in a bid to capture market share. The carriers also compete aggressively for gates, which are allocated by the City of Chicago based on recent flight numbers.
United was given five more gates at O’Hare last year despite complaints from American.
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American has said it needs to add flights at the airport to restore its pre-pandemic capacity.
FAA-directed cuts in Chicago could affect passengers flying to, from, or through the city in the coming months.
Regulators said last week that the published schedule for O’Hare shows over 3,000 takeoffs and landings on peak summer days, which is hundreds more than last year. That level of traffic risks overwhelming operations and degrading infrastructure, they said.
The FAA is expected to make a final announcement on reductions after the meeting. The cutbacks would take effect during the summer travel season, which runs from March 29 through Oct. 25.
The agency is reportedly looking to cap daily flights at around 2,800.
