United Airlines Delays 11 Routes After FAA Extends Flight Cap
United Airlines has delayed the launch of 11 planned routes out of Chicago O'Hare International Airport after the FAA extended its flight cap at the airport through October 2027, a limit originally set to expire this fall.
The FAA's order caps daily operations at O'Hare at roughly 2,708 arrivals and departures, about a 10% reduction from the roughly 3,080 flights the airport had previously handled. The agency first imposed the cap in April, citing concerns over congestion and delays, and initially set it to expire Oct. 24, 2026. In July, the FAA extended that deadline by a full year, pointing to ongoing construction tied to O'Hare's massive modernization project.
"Following the extension of FAA's Chicago O'Hare's flight schedule cap through October 2027, we are delaying the start of ten new routes announced earlier this year and removing them from our schedule," a United spokesperson said. "We're working with impacted customers to find alternative travel options or provide refunds. We remain committed to providing important connectivity to these cities and hope to start service from Chicago once the FAA order expires."
Which Routes Are Affected
Ten of the delayed routes connected O'Hare to smaller regional airports, while the eleventh was a planned international route to Guadalajara, Mexico. Among the impacted markets is Tri-Cities Airport in Blountville, Tennessee, where United had planned to launch three daily flights starting June 8. That service is now delayed until at least October 2027, when the FAA's order is set to expire.
Tri-Cities Airport said in a statement that it looks forward to welcoming the route once O'Hare's restrictions allow. Passengers who had already booked the now-delayed flights are being offered rebooking options or refunds.
Why the FAA Extended the Cap
The FAA's order points to construction tied to the O'Hare 21, or ORDNext, modernization program, an $8.78 billion overhaul described as the largest terminal expansion in the airport's history. The project includes a new Global Terminal replacing Terminal 2, a 19-gate Concourse D, renovations to Terminal 3, and extensive taxiway and airfield work, all expected to continue through summer 2027.
"FAA finds that significant delay and operational disruption would occur at ORD if the ORD Order were to expire as originally scheduled," the agency said in its order.
Both of O'Hare's major hub carriers have publicly backed the extension. American Airlines called it "a prudent decision that will help maintain operational stability, improve reliability, reduce delays and support a more predictable travel experience," while United said the extension would help the airport maintain reliability as construction continues. That's a notable shift from United's tone when the cap was first introduced in April, when the airline criticized the original order as unfairly based on each carrier's summer 2025 schedule rather than its planned 2026 growth.
United Still Growing at O'Hare Despite the Cap
Even with the delayed routes, United hasn't pulled back on Chicago growth entirely. The airline recently announced 12 new routes from O'Hare, including daily service to Santa Barbara, California, and Eugene, Oregon, along with limited weekly flights to Monterey, California, and St. George, Utah. United remains O'Hare's largest carrier, holding more than 45% of the airport's market share, and has said it plans to offer nonstop service to 222 destinations from the airport in 2026, more than any other airline there.
The FAA has said it retains the right to review future schedule submissions from both airlines as construction continues.
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