United Airlines delayed the launch of 10 domestic routes out of O'Hare International Airport, attributing the decision to the Federal Aviation Administration's extended flight cuts.
Despite this, the airline reportedly launched several new routes out of the Chicago airport in 2026, expanding service to cities in California, Oregon and more. Here's what we know.
United Airlines pushes back O'Hare expansion
The airline said in an email that ten new routes announced in early 2026 would be delayed and removed from its schedule "following the extension of FAA's Chicago O'Hare's flight schedule cap through October 2027."
"We’re working with impacted customers to find alternative travel options or provide refunds," the airline said. "We remain committed to providing important connectivity to these
cities and hope to start service from Chicago once the FAA order expires."
The FAA previously announced flight reductions in April to prevent what it described as "widespread flight delays" at O'Hare, attributing delays to "constrained gate capacity" and "ongoing taxiway closures from construction," among other issues. The administration limited the airport's daily operations to 2,708 between May 17 and Oct. 24, 2026.
The FAA recently extended these flight reductions through October 2027.
Which United routes are impacted?
Service to nearby Bloomington-Normal (BMI) and Champaign-Urbana (CMI) are delayed, as well as service to the following eight locations:
- Erie, Pennsylvania (ERI)
- Kalamazoo, Michigan (AZO)
- La Crosse, Wisconsin (LSE)
- Lansing, Michigan (LAN)
- Marquette, Michigan (MQT)
- Rochester, Minnesota (RST)
- Tri-Cities, Tennessee (TRI)
- Wausau, Wisconsin (CWA)
United Airlines launches new O'Hare routes in 2026
Despite the FAA's flight cuts, Simplyflying.com reported that United launched 12 new domestic routes out of O'Hare in 2026.
Based on flight scheduling data from aviation analytics company Cirium, Simplyflying.com reported that the following domestic routes were added:
- Santa Barbara (SBA)
- Eugene, Oregon (EUG)
- Paducah, Kentucky (PAH)
- Lynchburg, Virginia (LYH)
- Monterey, California (MRY)
- St. George, Utah (SGU)
- Idaho Falls, Idaho (IDA)
- Park County, Wyoming (COD)
- Key West, Florida (EWY)
- Harrison County, West Virginia (CKB)
- Lancaster, Pennsylvania (LNS)
- Kearney, Nebraska (EAR)
A majority of these were announced by the airline in an October 2025 press release, with service dates set to kick off between spring and summer of 2026.
United was asked to confirm these new routes, and this article will be updated if a response is given.
The airline also announced expanded daily service to Rochester, Minnesota (RST), Wausau, Wisconsin (CWA) and Marquette, Michigan (MQT), but these routes have since been delayed due to FAA cuts, according to United.
"United is already flying its busiest schedule in history at O'Hare," the airline said following the acquisition of five new gates at O'Hare. "Now these additional gates have unlocked new opportunities to intertwine cities across the country, serve more customers in Chicago and strengthen our hometown hub."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: United delays launch of 10 new O'Hare routes following FAA cuts
