After pullback, American Airlines says it will fly more out of O'Hare this year
American Airlines is planning to boost flying capacity out of O'Hare International Airport this year, marking a departure from the airline's pullback at its Chicago hub in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The carrier will fly to nine new domestic and international cities from Chicago in 2025 and use larger planes, American announced Thursday. The service additions will mean American is scheduling 25% more seats out of Chicago this summer and 22% more flights than last year, according to the airline.
All told, the airline said it would have more space on flights out of Chicago than ever before.
That is likely welcome news for Chicago, where O'Hare is a key driver of the city's economy. American, one of the airport's two main carriers, appeared to focus instead on other cities as O'Hare's recovery from the pandemic lagged, scheduling fewer seats on fewer flights through fall 2023 than it did the year before.
Coming out of the pandemic, American focused on hubs in the southeast, where demand was returning, according to the carrier. Chicago has also traditionally seen a healthy amount of business travel, which was slower to return than leisure.
Around the same time, a major overhaul of O'Hare's terminals became mired in months of contentious negotiations when American and United airlines pushed back against rising construction costs. The city and airlines in spring 2024 agreed to change the order of construction, paving the way for the project to move forward.
American is now focusing on growing in its northern hubs, executives said during a call with reporters and analysts in January to present the carrier's fourth-quarter earnings. The airline is working to add back use of smaller, regional jets, which is likely to benefit Chicago and the Philadelphia market, CEO Robert Isom said.
'Our growth in 2025 is focused on improving our schedule in markets that are not yet fully restored to historical levels, primarily in our northern hubs,' Chief Financial Officer Devon May said.
New cities American will fly to from Chicago this spring and summer include: Bismarck, North Dakota; Boise, Idaho; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Hyannis, Massachussetts; and Spokane, Washington. New international cities include Halifax, Madrid and Naples.
In the fall, American will begin flying from O'Hare to Honolulu, Hawaii.
'Strengthening our network is a promise to our customers that we'll continue to provide exceptional service to the places they want to go,' said Ben Humphrey, vice president of American's O'Hare operations, in a statement. 'And it reinforces to our partners and stakeholders that we'll be an economic driver for the region well into the future.'
Some of the new flights will be on regional jets, but all flights from O'Hare will have premium cabins, American said. The carrier will also add more service to Florida and other southeast cities that are popular for vacations.
'Investments like this are key to preserving Chicago's status as a world-class destination and ensuring the airport remains one of the biggest economic engines in the region,' Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said in a statement.
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