United Airlines Plans Expanded Summer Schedule at Chicago O’Hare with Up to 750 Daily Flights
United Airlines has announced plans to operate up to 750 flights per day from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) during the summer 2026 season. This will represent the largest schedule United has operated at the airport and reflects the airline’s continued network growth in Chicago.
Throughout 2026, United plans to offer nonstop service from ORD to 222 destinations, including 175 domestic routes and 47 international destinations across Europe, Asia, and South America. The expanded schedule includes both new routes and increased frequencies on existing services, strengthening connectivity across the Midwest and beyond.
Beginning in late April and early May 2026, United will introduce new nonstop routes from ORD to several regional markets, each operated four times daily:
Champaign/Urbana, Illinois (CMI) – from April 30, 2026
Kalamazoo, Michigan (AZO) – from April 30, 2026
Lansing, Michigan (LAN) – from May 7, 2026
La Crosse, Wisconsin (LSE) – from May 7, 2026
Bloomington/Normal, Illinois (BMI) – from May 7, 2026
These routes are intended to improve access between Chicago and small and mid-sized communities across the Midwest.
In addition, United has previously announced new services for summer 2026 to destinations including Santa Barbara, Monterey, and Eugene on the West Coast, as well as Bristol/Tri-Cities, Erie, Rochester (Minnesota), Wausau, and Marquette.
United also plans to add additional flights on more than 80 existing routes from Chicago, including increased frequencies to cities such as Boston, Nashville, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Dallas. The airline expects to operate more than 370 daily mainline departures during the peak summer schedule, up from summer 2025.
United will also operate daily service between Chicago and Guadalajara from June 8 to June 27, 2026, to support international soccer events. With this addition, United will offer nonstop service from Chicago to all 16 host cities for the major international soccer matches in 2026.
United averaged 541 daily departures from ORD in 2025 and plans further operational expansion in 2026. To support this growth, the airline intends to hire approximately 2,500 additional employees at O’Hare by the end of the year.
Passengers travelling through ORD will have access to multiple United Club locations and a Polaris lounge, as well as an increasing number of aircraft featuring seatback entertainment, updated cabin interiors, and onboard connectivity. United continues to deploy Starlink Wi-Fi across its fleet, with a growing share of Chicago departures operated by equipped aircraft.
The airline is also expanding its use of technology at O’Hare, including app-based connection support tools, touchless bag drop options, facial recognition for TSA PreCheck processing, and real-time airport navigation through the United mobile app.
United’s Chicago-based workforce has grown to more than 18,000 employees over the past decade. Beyond airport operations, the airline continues to invest in the local community through partnerships with professional sports teams, support for nonprofit organisations, and leadership involvement across civic initiatives.
With its expanded summer schedule, United aims to further strengthen Chicago O’Hare’s role as a central hub within its global network while continuing investment in operations, technology, and workforce development.
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