American Airlines has published an update on its plans at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), boasting that it will add 100 new departures from the airport, resulting in the carrier passing the 500 daily departure mark “this spring,” a mark that its executives have previously outlined as a goal.
On December 29, 2025, American Airlines said that it was taking its expansion at ORD “to the next level with 100 new daily departures” from the airport, with additional flights to more than 75 destinations for spring break.
In addition to more frequencies on domestic and short- and medium-haul destinations, the airline will also extend the seasonal services from ORD to Dublin Airport (DUB) and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG).
Cirium’s Diio Mi showed that during the summer 2025 season, these seasonal international services began on June 5 and ended on October 5 (DUB) and on May 4, ending on September 2 (CDG), while in 2026, they should continue flying to DUB “about a month longer,” while to CDG, flights will operate for “three months longer than previous seasons.”
Steve Johnson, the Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) of American Airlines, who had also briefly served as the carrier’s Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), reiterated that the airline’s goal was to rebuild ORD “to be stronger and more compelling for our customers, and our 2026 plans are both emblematic of that objective and an exciting way to end a year defined by bold growth and investment at ORD.”
“Our continued focus on Chicago during the next year – a year that we celebrate the centennial of American and our 100th year of service at ORD – will make our network even more attractive and continue to enhance the travel experience, improve reliability, and introduce more premium options for our customers.”
According to Cirium’s Diio Mi, currently filed schedules showed that between January 2026 and May 2026, American Airlines’ one-way departures from ORD will grow 24.9%, with the number of departing seats rising by 25.8% year-on-year (YoY).
That was despite the fact that, following a request from United Airlines to reallocate preferential use gates at the airport, the City of Chicago’s Department of Aviation, based on the Airline Use and Lease Agreement (AULA), took away four gates from American Airlines at ORD.
The biggest profiteer of the reallocation? United Airlines, which gained five. American Airlines had attempted to sue the City of Chicago, but withdrew its legal complaint on July 16.
American Airlines is not only hopeful that it will regain gates at the airport, but it has also been active in the market for some. Spirit Airlines, currently undergoing its second Chapter 11 bankruptcy, agreed to sell two gates at the airport to American Airlines, with each preferential gate having been valued at $15 million. The court approved the sale on December 15.
The company highlighted that the purchase “made way for three new destinations, resulting in 29 destinations added to ORD in 2025.”
As such, the airline outlined that it is adding 100 peak daily departures to its spring schedule in 75 markets, such as Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), and others, while doubling services to other destinations, like Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport (LAS).
“Reaching 500 peak daily departures solidifies ORD’s spot as the third-largest hub in American's global network and among the top 10 largest hub operations of all major US carriers.”
Cirium’s Diio Mi indicated that American Airlines will have over 500 daily departures in February 2026 (only on Wednesdays), April 2026 (only on Wednesdays), May 2026 (except Tuesdays and Saturdays), June 2026, July 2026, and August 2026 (only on Mondays and Tuesdays).
Last week’s schedules showed that the airline had scheduled over 500 daily departures only in June 2026, July 2026, and August 2026. In comparison, United Airlines has close to or more than 600 daily departures from ORD from March 2026 onward, including in November 2026, which is the latest available data.
“Chicago travelers are responding to American’s enhanced focus on customer experience that spans every facet of the travel journey. In the third quarter, enrollments in American’s industry-leading AAdvantage loyalty program grew 7% systemwide year over year, with Chicago leading the way at approximately 20% growth, more than double the system average.”
During the airline’s Q3 earnings call on October 23, Robert Isom, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of American Airlines, said that while the carrier has done “a nice job in growing” back at ORD, he promised that the airport will be a hub with more than 500 daily departures in 2026.
Isom then mentioned the 20% growth in AAdvantage enrollments in Chicago, noting that it was “a remarkable number.”
Rytis Beresnevicius
