Chicago airports expect nearly 2M travelers for July 4th weekend
O'Hare anticipates 1.54 million passengers, up 11% from last year.
United Airlines projects 67,000 daily travelers during holiday period.
Chicago's airports will see one of the busiest Fourth of July weekends in their history, expecting nearly 1.9 million travelers between them.
At O'Hare International Airport, about 1.54 million travelers are expected from July 2 to July 7, according to a statement from the Chicago Department of Aviation. That's an 11% increase from last year's levels and a 9% more than 2019, the airport's busiest year on record.
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O'Hare's busiest day is expected to be Sunday, July 6, when more than 300,000 travelers are projected to pass through the airport — nearly 40% above the daily average at the world's second-busiest airport for aircraft movements.
Meanwhile, Midway is expecting 320,00 passengers over the the six-day holiday period, with Sunday being the busiest day with 59,000 people expected.
United Airlines, the largest carrier at O'Hare, said it expects to fly nearly 67,000 people per day during the Fourth of July travel period, up 12% from last year. June 27 and July 3 are expected to be the airline's busiest days.
Meanwhile, the Transportation Security Administration said this week that it screened a record-breaking 114,000 travelers at O'Hare on June 22, setting the single-day record for the most travelers screened at O'Hare in the agency's history.
CDA officials pointed out that as part of the Kennedy Expressway reconstruction project, outbound express lanes are now open to O'Hare, but travelers should still expect significant delays, especially during peak hours. Travel time from downtown Chicago to O'Hare will frequently exceed an hour, they said.
The officials 'strongly encouraged' O'Hare passengers to take public transportation, such as the CTA Blue Line and Metra.
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Reach Ben Miller at bwmiller@bizjournals.com.
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