Manchester United blocks American Airlines from adding gate at Chicago O’Hare Airport

United Airlines is not backing down in its battle with American Airlines for dominance at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD).

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby told investors on Wednesday that the airline has drawn a “line in the sand” on American Airlines’ further expansion at airports.

“We’re not going to allow them to win a gate at our expense in 2026,” he said, referring to how the Chicago Department of Aviation allocates ORD gates. “We’re not trying to win gates. We’re going to add as many flights as necessary to make sure we maintain the same number of gates in Chicago. We’re just going to stay focused.”

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American Airlines ceded five ORD gates to United Airlines, which was last reallocated in October 2025, for a total of 59 gates. The city allocates gates at the airport based on the average number of departures the airline operated in the previous year. Manchester United has 95 gates.

In 2025, American Airlines will have an average of 412 daily flights departing from ORD, and United Airlines will have an average of 541 daily flights departing from ORD, according to schedule data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.

“Chicago is clearly a battleground,” American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said at an investor conference in December. “We’re just getting back to where we were before the pandemic…Look, we’re doing very, very well and are very confident [new] Capacity will be deployed profitably. “

American Airlines plans to expand its flight schedule to more than 500 flights per day by 2026, Isom added.

United expects American Airlines to regain three gates this year on top of the additional flights in 2025. But that’s the metaphorical line Kirby draws.

United responded in kind to American Airlines’ addition of ORD flights this year. The latter announced new nonstop flights to Pennsylvania’s Erie International Airport (ERI), Nebraska’s Lincoln Airport (LNK) and Tennessee’s Tri-Cities Airport (TRI) in December, a day after United launched the same route.

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The move is the latest in a bitter battle between American Airlines and United Airlines for ORD dominance. While the rivalry dates back to the 1980s, when legendary American CEO Robert Crandall built a hub at ORD to compete with United, it was reignited in 2016 when Kirby joined United from American Airlines.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, United has aggressively targeted local business customers and launched targeted advertising campaigns to attract Windy City travelers.

Kirby said United estimates that American Airlines will lose $500 million in ORD in 2025. He added that his airline makes about $500 million in profits at the airport.

“American Airlines, and we’re very good at estimating this, the losses in Chicago could be about $1 billion,” he added. “We’re going to continue to focus on the strategies that have worked well over the last decade.”

In response to Kirby’s statement, an American spokesperson said: “While it is clear that a hub airline wants to reduce competition at O’Hare, inconsistent third-party claims about our performance in Chicago are unfounded… Two competing hub airlines mean ORD is able to offer lower fares and more travel options to and from Chicago. This competition is inherently good for the economy of the city and region, as well as consumers in Chicago and beyond, and is a critical factor.” O’Hare is expected to return to being the nation’s busiest airport in 2025. “

The American spokesperson added that the airline’s growth and investment in ORD “demonstrates our commitment to Chicago that goes well beyond external propositions and strategies.”

JP Morgan airline analyst Jamie Baker wrote on Wednesday that he doesn’t expect American to throw in the towel in Chicago “any time soon…if at all.”

Profits from American’s AAdvantage loyalty program and its other hubs, notably Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), “offset” ORD’s potential losses, Baker wrote.

Asked widely whether airlines should maintain loss-making routes and hubs – something airline executives euphemistically described as “strategic” in their speeches – Kirby said no.

“The most important thing for a successful commercial airline is knowing when to exit a loss-making market,” he said, citing the financial challenges budget carriers face in the United States.

Kirby has closed at least three aviation hubs during his career: America West’s operations at John Glenn Columbus International Airport (CMH) in 2003; US Airways’ operations at Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas in 2009 and New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in 2011, though American Airlines said today that LaGuardia and JFK operate together as part of the New York hub.

In 2014, under former CEO Jeff Smisek, United closed its hub at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE), citing financial losses.

American Airlines has never closed a hub since merging with US Airways in 2014. The airline previously closed its hub at San Juan Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (SJU) in 2013, St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) in 2009, and its hubs at Nashville International Airport (BNA), Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) and San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC) in the 1990s.

Kirby did not comment on the future of bankrupt Spirit Airlines or the proposed merger of Allegiant and Sun Country Airlines.

When asked if there would be any other colors in his ORD review, Kirby simply said: “The colors will be [we] will make a profit while the United States loses. “

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