Based on data released in 2025 by the Airports Council, Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport is one of the busiest airports in North America, with over 80 million passengers making their way to the airport in 2024. If some travelers have been holding off on visiting O’Hare due to the absence of a certain route, 2026 might change things.
United Airlines recently announced that it was adding five new direct routes to and from O’Hare to a series of Midwestern destinations. Beginning in April and May, United is adding service to one airport in Wisconsin (La Crosse), two in Michigan (Kalamazoo and Lansing), and two in Illinois (Champaign/Urbana and Bloomington/Normal). This is set to increase the number of destinations United flies to from O’Hare to 222, giving it the top spot at the airport.
These five routes are also part of a larger expansion that began last year, when United announced plans to begin service to the likes of Erie, Eugene, Monterey and Santa Barbara later this year. In addition to adding new routes, United revealed that it would also be increasing to a number of cities in the U.S., including Dallas, Nashville and San Francisco. Chicago-area soccer fans looking to take in the World Cup in Guadalajara may also be interested to know that the airline is adding service between the two cities in June.
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This follows similar changes elsewhere in England and Scotland“This growth at O’Hare highlights our commitment to invest in our network, customers and hiring in the city we call home,” said Omar Idris, United’s Vice President for ORD, said in a statement. The additional service is expected to make United’s service at O’Hare the third largest hub for any airline in the country.
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