Chicago Airports Set for Record Summer with 17.8 Million Departing Seats
Chicago O’Hare International (ORD) and Chicago Midway (MDW) airports are preparing for a record-breaking summer travel season, with airlines set to offer a total of 17.8 million departing seats across both airports during the June-August period. This represents a 7% increase in departing seats compared to 2024 and a 4% increase over 2019. The summer will also see 15 additional routes compared to the previous year, bringing the total number of routes to 265, up from 250 in 2024.
The Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) noted that American Airlines and United Airlines, the largest hub carriers at O’Hare, have announced major expansion plans. American Airlines plans to offer 25% more seats at ORD this summer compared to last year and will operate 22% more departures, with a peak of 480 daily flights. United Airlines, based in Chicago, will operate more seats in 2025 than at any time in the past two decades.
Southwest Airlines, which operates out of both MDW and ORD, will expand its service to 77 destinations across the two airports, up from 66 destinations served solely from MDW in July 2019.
Several new routes will be introduced by American Airlines from ORD, including seasonal and year-round services to destinations like Liberia, Costa Rica; Madrid; Naples, Italy; Bismarck, North Dakota; Boise, Idaho; Colorado Springs; Hyannis, Massachusetts; Key West, Florida; and Spokane, Washington. United Airlines will also introduce new routes, including flights to Edmonton, Halifax, and Winnipeg in Canada, as well as Billings, Montana; Ontario, California; Pellston, Michigan; Rhinelander, Wisconsin; and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.
Southwest Airlines will add two new routes from Midway: Boise and Spokane.
International carriers are also expanding services, with Cathay Pacific returning to the Hong Kong-ORD route for the first time since 2019, offering daily flights. Avianca will launch service between San Salvador and ORD, while WestJet will offer flights between ORD and Edmonton. Additionally, Turkish Airlines will increase its service from ORD to Istanbul, expanding from 14 to 17 weekly flights starting July 7.
This robust expansion at Chicago’s airports underscores the city’s position as a major travel hub, with more routes and increased capacity to meet rising demand for summer travel.
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