American Airlines and United Airlines will continue to operate under a limited schedule at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport for another six months to reduce delays, the Federal Aviation Administration said yesterday.
The two largest U.S. carriers in August 2004 cut their schedules at the world's second-busiest airport by 6 percent under a government order
(BTN, Sept. 6, 2004), pushing on-time arrivals at O'Hare to 74 percent through August 2005, up from 66 percent during the same period a year earlier. The six-month extension of restrictions ensures "congestion and delay at O'Hare remain at manageable levels," FAA said in a statement it published in the Federal Register.
The extension was expected, officials for American and United said. FAA on Sept. 30 approved a plan to fund an expansion of O'Hare, including the construction of a new terminal and runway.