Chicago says its $8.8 billion O’Hare bet is on track. The bill for who actually pays it is just arriving.
But O’Hare’s expansion flies in the face of movements by federal regulators. The FAA spent this summer reducing not expanding capacity. Regulators capped O’Hare’s peak day operations at 2,708 flights between May 17 and October 24, a move Matthew covered when it happened as ending a pointless capacity war between United and American. Chicago is spending billions to build more gates at the same airport federal regulators instructed airlines to fly less.
The airport genuinely needs modern infrastructure. United and American genuinely packed too many flights into too few peak hour slots, which is exactly what Matthew described when United kept doubling down on Chicago even as the economics worsened. But a city cannot credibly sell an $8.8 billion “we need more room to grow” pitch in the same season the FAA rules there is not enough room in the sky above that growth.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on Live and Let's Fly.
