United Airlines Cancels 24 Routes From Chicago O'Hare: See Full List Now

Credit: Phuong D. Nguyen | Shutterstock | Simple Flying Published Sep 30, 2026, 4:35 PM EDT James lives and breathes route development. Educated in Air Transport Management at Loughborough University and Cranfield University, James has a PhD in Airline Strategy and Economics. James was Market Opportunity Analyst at London Luton Airport and Chief Analyst at anna.aero. He taught airline strategy and economics to undergraduate and postgraduate students for five years and has worked closely with multiple carriers on route and market intelligence projects. He is based near London, UK. Sign in to your Simple Flying account United Airlines serves more airports globally than any other carrier. They are from multiple hubs, including Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD). Despite the Federal Aviation Administration flight cap, the Star Alliance member is increasingly fighting with American Airlines at ORD, partly to secure more gates. Cirium Diio data shows that ORD is United's number one hub for passengers, seats for sale, and flights. However, it only ranks third for available seat miles, behind San Francisco and Newark. This is primarily due to having many domestic services on smaller aircraft, with ORD overwhelmingly being the airline's top hub for regional jet activity. United Has Ended These 14 Routes From Chicago Credit: Michael Weeks | Shutterstock The list can be separated into two categories. First, 'regular' route cessations between January 2025 and September 2026. Second, planned services which were subsequently removed, supposedly to return in October 2027 when the FAA flight cap ends. More on the last category later. United's full schedule from ORD was explored. This examined all routes available from January 2025 until September 2026, and then compared the list to what is planned from October 2026 until August 2027. The results are shown below. They reflect what is known as of September 30 and could easily change. Some of the entries were only served for a brief time. For example, United Express took off from ORD to Cody, Wyoming, on May 22, with this route served weekly through September 18 by SkyWest Embraer E175s (shown above). No future flights are bookable. The route to Wyoming, which covered 936 nautical miles (1,733 km) each way, was previously flown between 2014 and 2017 and again in 2019 and then in 2021. In May and June 2026, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) shows that the load factor was only 59.4%. End Month (January 2025 To September 2026 Only) United From ORD To...* April 2025 Harlingen, Texas May 2025 Tulum, Mexico September 2025 Billings, Montana** June 2026 Guadalajara, Mexico (partly for the World Cup, with 20 flights, but regular service was planned; this might return after the cap ends) August 2026 Great Falls, Montana September 2026 Cody, Wyoming; Edmonton, Canada; Idaho Falls, Idaho; Nantucket, Massachusetts; Pellston, Michigan; Rhinelander, Wisconsin; St. George, Utah; Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan; Wilmington, North Carolina * None of them have flights scheduled between October 2026 and August 2027 ** Regular service ended in September 2025. Had a handful of flights in 2026 These Ten Routes Were Planned From Chicago But Have Been "Paused" Credit: Habanero Pixel | Shutterstock The following places were all due to welcome United (through United Express) in 2026, with some announced at the start of the year. Some were due to have up to five daily services. However, they have all been postponed, seemingly until at least October 2027, after the FAA cap has ended. As that is beyond the currently scheduled period, it is not yet clear if they will materialize then or around that point or be quietly canceled for good. Flights from ORD to Lansing, Michigan, for example, were due to launch in May 2026, but were then delayed until October 2026, which was when the original FAA limit was due to expire. This cap was extended for 12 months, but there is currently no indication if flights will take off. Three of the markets have not been on United's map before, including La Crosse, Wisconsin. United had planned to fly to eight cities from ORD to the so-called Badger State. But with the 'suspension' of flights to La Crosse and Wausau, along with the elimination of service to Rhinelander, there are now five: Appleton, Eau Claire, Green Bay, Madison, and Milwaukee. Despite this, Wisconsin is United's third most-served state from ORD for flights, after Florida and California. United From ORD To... Do Other Nonstop Flights Exist From ORD?* Has United Previously Flown There From ORD?** Bloomington, Illinois American Eagle Yes, until 2008 Champaign, Illinois American Eagle Yes, until 2018 Erie, Pennsylvania American Eagle Yes, until 2023 Kalamazoo, Michigan American Eagle Yes, until 2022 La Crosse, Wisconsin American Eagle No Lansing, Michigan American Eagle Yes, until 2022 Marquette, Michigan American Eagle No Rochester, Minnesota American Eagle Yes, until 2021 Tri-Cities, Tennessee American Eagle No Wausau, Wisconsin American Eagle Yes, until 2022 * October 2026 through next year ** Based on the US DOT United Now Has 205 Destinations From Chicago Credit: Robin Guess | Shutterstock Between October and next August, United plans an average of 1,285 daily movements at ORD (takeoffs and landings combined), against 1,014 with American. United has nonstop flights to 205 destinations, against 189 with American. 159 of United's served airports are domestic, including US territories in the Caribbean, while 46 are international. They include 11 markets that have welcomed the carrier this year or will do so soon, with flights scheduled for 2027. They are Clarksburg, West Virginia; Kearney, Nebraska; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Lynchburg, Virginia; Monterey, California; Owensboro, Kentucky; Paducah, Kentucky; Santa Barbara, California; Santa Fe, New Mexico; Shreveport, Louisiana; and Tokyo Narita, Japan (to which the carrier will resume flying in October).