The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has capped daily operations at Chicago O'Hare International Airport for the summer 2026 season at 2,708, the Department of Transportation announced Thursday.
DOT and FAA in March announced a potential flight cap for the airport. The cap will go into effect May 17 and run through Oct. 24.
The cap was floated after American Airlines and United Airlines expanded their O'Hare flights for the summer as part of an effort to retain or gain gates. The cap is down from the more than 3,080 flights planned for the summer, which would have been a 14.9 percent peak-day increase over summer 2025 operations, according to DOT.
FAA will allocate operations among airlines based on their approved summer 2025 schedules, according to DOT.