United Airlines plans to cut more than 100 daily departures out of O’Hare International Airport in June, according to a letter sent to airline employees Thursday. The flight cuts come after the Federal Aviation Administration brought the hammer down on the flying frenzy at Chicago’s largest airport earlier this month.
United and its main competitor at O’Hare, American Airlines, have been engaged in a turf war at the airport, each planning increases in daily flights this coming summer. Gates at O’Hare are allocated by how much an airline flew the previous year, incentivizing airlines to add flights.
But the FAA cracked down on the arms race earlier this month, ordering a cut of hundreds of takeoffs and landings airport-wide every day this summer. The federal regulatory agency had said the planned number of flights would stretch O’Hare’s capacity past its limit.
The FAA originally ordered flight cuts to start mid-May. But the feds subsequently pushed back the start date until June 2 “to give airlines additional time to adjust their schedules,” the agency said. The order will be in effect until late October.
In a letter to employees Thursday, the airline’s vice president of O’Hare, Omar Idris, said the airline’s June schedule would include about 650 daily departures at the airport. The airline had planned to fly about 780 flights out of the airport per day this summer.
Idris’ letter doesn’t specify which flights are on the chopping block, but said the airline had “preserved the high-quality flight times customers want between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m., with minimal changes to our afternoon peak.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for United said impacted travelers would “receive a communication outlining available travel options, including service from nearby airports where United operations continue.”
“For those who choose not to make alternative arrangements, tickets will be automatically refunded within five days of the final travel date listed on the itinerary,” the airline said.
