United will reach 750 flights per day this summer from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), 200 more than its next largest competitor and the largest schedule ever flown by any airline operating here.
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Throughout 2026, Chicago’s hometown airline will offer non-stop service to 222 destinations – more than any other airline at ORD, and 38 more than its next largest competitor – including 47 international cities across Europe, Asia and South America as well as 175 U.S. destinations.
Starting as early as April, and on sale January 29th, the airline is strengthening connectivity across the Midwest with 5 new routes from ORD to cities including:
– Champaign/Urbana, Ill. (CMI) operated 4 times daily beginning April 30, 2026
– Kalamazoo, Mich. (AZO) operated 4 times daily beginning April 30, 2026
– Lansing, Mich. (LAN) operated 4 times daily beginning May 7, 2026
– La Crosse, Wis. (LSE) operated 4 times daily beginning May 7, 2026
– Bloomington/Normal, Ill. (BMI) operated 4 times daily beginning May 7, 2026
In late 2025, the airline also announced it would add flights to cities such as Santa Barbara, Calif. (SBA); Monterey, Calif. (MRY); Eugene, Ore. (EUG); Bristol/Tri-Cities, Tenn. (TRI), Erie, Penn. (ERI); Rochester, Minn. (RST); Wausau, Wis. (CWA); Marquette, Mich. (MQT), and more as part of its summer 2026 schedule.
In addition, more than 80 cities will receive additional flights to give customers even more options from Chicago, including popular travel destinations like Boston (BOS), Nashville (BNA), Los Angeles (LAX), San Francisco (SFO) and Dallas (DFW). United’s Chicago hub is expected to become the 3rd largest hub operated by any airline in the U.S., and the airline’s summer schedule reinforces ORD’s role as the premier hub of the Midwest and a top global gateway following record passenger levels in 2025.
United will also operate from ORD to Guadalajara, Mexico (GDL) daily from June 8 to June 27, providing service for large international soccer games. With this add, United will have non-stop service from Chicago to all 16 cities hosting large international soccer games in 2026.
To support the airline’s continued focus on operational excellence, United plans to hire another approximately 2,500 people at ORD before the end of the year.