24 hours later, United retaliates against American in Chicago

Zach Griff

2 months ago

ZACH GRIFF

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A turf war in Chicago has been brewing for months. And now, United Airlines just made its latest move.

The hometown carrier announced Friday that it will add two more routes from its O’Hare International Airport (ORD) hub in summer 2026:

The added flights include:

Erie, Pennsylvania, starting June 1, 2026
Tri-Cities, Tennessee, starting June 8, 2026

Both markets will operate three times daily during the summer season. Meanwhile, United also shared that it’s adding a fifth daily frequency between O’Hare and Lincoln, Nebraska, during the upcoming summer season.

Three regional route tweaks wouldn’t normally warrant a standalone announcement. But there’s much more to it than just the three flights.

United responds to American

Less than 24 hours earlier, American Airlines unveiled a slate of new domestic flying — including three routes from Chicago.

Those three markets? You guessed it. Erie, Tri-Cities, and Lincoln.

Service to Erie technically represents a resumption for United, which was last served in 2023. And Lincoln is already on United’s route map from Chicago, making the additional frequency an incremental upgrade.

However, Tri-Cities will become an all-new destination for United when Chicago service begins next year.

Plus, the timing is hard to ignore. United’s announcement seems to come as a response to American’s latest Chicago expansion.

The Chicago turf war

While trading blows over regional routes may seem petty, the bigger story is the escalating battle between American and United for dominance at O’Hare.

Both carriers operate major hubs at the airport, and United has leaned heavily into its hometown advantage in recent years.

United has added routes, increased frequencies, and even secured five additional gates at the airport through the city’s reallocation process.

In fact, with the addition of Erie and Tri-Cities, United says it will have announced its 12th and 13th new destinations from Chicago this year.

American, meanwhile, has been working to defend (and rebuild) its relevance at ORD. The airline sued the Chicago Department of Aviation over the gate reallocation process, arguing the city moved too quickly. (American ultimately lost the case.)

Just weeks after United was eventually awarded additional gate access, American moved to acquire two gates from Spirit Airlines for $30 million, reinforcing its commitment to the hub.

With this context, United’s latest route announcement feels less about splashy growth and more about reinforcing its competitive position in Chicago.

“As we continue our steady growth at O’Hare, reaching nearly 650 daily departures during peak summer travel, we’re building on the strength of a global network that’s simply unmatched in Chicago. Every new route we add expands the connection opportunities available to our customers and reinforces O’Hare’s role as one of the most important gateways in our system,” said Mark Weithofer, United’s managing director of domestic network planning, in a statement.

Zach Griff Author

Zach Griff is a travel expert who’s covered airlines, loyalty programs, credit cards, and travel tech for nearly a decade. He’s visited 60+ countries and regularly shares his insights across Instagram, TikTok and X — and at From the Tray Table.

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