O’Hare ‘seesaw’: Chicago adds gates for American Airlines, reduces some United slots

American Airlines stands to gain in the latest gate distribution at O’Hare International Airport, while rival United Airlines will lose some slots, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation.

“Expanding ​our footprint at O'Hare ​reflects ​American's ​ongoing commitment to our ​team, ​customers and ​the Chicago region,” the carrier said in a statement Monday.

Unfazed, United announced “we anticipated this outcome and remain focused on ensuring we have sufficient gates at O’Hare for our operations.”

The CDA’s annual gate reallocation is based on airlines’ historical activity at O’Hare, officials said.

United picked up five gates in a 2025 CDA reallocation, for a total of 95, but the May 30 decision gives the carrier 91.

Meanwhile, American lost four gates last year — ending up with 59 — and subsequently sued, saying the decision hurt competition.

This year, operations data determined that American had qualified for three more gates, the CDA said. That should result in a total of 66 gates because American picked up two gates from Spirit Airlines and can convert the three spots, intended for narrow-bodied aircraft like 737s, into five slots for smaller regional aircraft, officials noted.

“O'Hare is like a giant seesaw, with gate allocation going up and down between American and United,” DePaul University aviation expert and Professor Joseph Schwieterman said Monday.

“American has been pushing hard to expand its footprint at O'Hare — this gives it some added momentum.”

The gate assignments go into effect Oct. 1. The process was triggered by a 2018 deal between the city and its two major carriers involving a major rebuild, which includes replacing Terminal 2 with a Global Terminal.

“We remain focused on ​restoring ​our ​Chicago ​hub to its prepandemic scale through ​a disciplined approach ​to sustainable network ​growth and ​targeted ​investments,” an American spokesperson said.

That means “adding meaningful service, ​introducing more premium ​options and enhancing ​the ​customer ​experience ​and ​operational ​reliability for Chicago ​customers and ​those connecting ​through O'Hare across our global network.”

The update comes as United Airlines cuts its flight schedule at O’Hare by about 130 daily departures in June in response to a Federal Aviation Administration directive intended to prevent delays this summer.

“Most Chicagoans choose to fly United and we're committed to delivering the reliable, high-quality service and worldwide route network our customers expect,” airline officials said.

Schwieterman thinks “this latest reallocation in American's favor isn't a big surprise, but it shows why added gates remain so coveted at O'Hare.”

“When all is said and done, American and United are as dominant as ever at O'Hare,” he added.

Here’s a look at the city’s final gate layout coming this fall:

• Air Canada: one gate at Concourse E.

• Alaska Airlines: two gates at Concourse G.

• American: 66 gates at Concourses G, H, K and L.

• Delta Air Lines: six gates at Concourse M.

• United: 91 gates at Concourses B, C, E, F and G.

The CDA also provides 24 common-use gates for domestic and international airlines, most of which are located at Concourse M.