THE STAKES ARE HIGH for Chicago’s airports as they work to maintain their positions among the nation’s leading aviation hubs while passenger volumes rise, infrastructure ages and competing airports expand.
Located on the far northwest side of the city, 17 miles from the Loop, Chicago O’Hare International Airport ranks among the world’s busiest airports. It is the third-busiest in the United States and the busiest in the Midwest. O’Hare is also a major international gateway, connecting the region to about 55 international destinations in addition to more than 150 domestic routes.
United Airlines and American Airlines are the dominant carriers at O’Hare. This year American is adding service to five destinations in the U.S. and Canada. Service to Vancouver (YVR) and Charleston, S.C. (CHS) begins May 4, while flights to Bangor, Maine (BGR); Myrtle Beach, S.C. (MYR); and Calgary, Alberta (YYC) start June 7.
United will introduce new non-stop service from O’Hare to El Paso, Texas (ELP), and Wilmington, N.C. (ILM), along with seasonal flights to Fresno, Calif. (FAT).
With flights and passenger counts growing rapidly, O’Hare is pursuing both near-term and long-term solutions to improve capacity and passenger experience.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has solicited proposals from firms to design, build, finance, operate and maintain a high-speed express train linking downtown Chicago and O’Hare. First proposed in the early 1990s and revisited in 2016, the new line would supplement the existing CTA Blue Line service and could cut travel times roughly in half.
Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk has also proposed an innovative tunnel-based system using electromagnetic “sleds” capable of speeds up to 125 mph; city officials have not dismissed the concept, leaving room for further evaluation.
Beyond rail options, Emanuel and aviation commissioner Ginger Evans have outlined a multibillion-dollar plan to rebuild O’Hare’s aging Terminal 2 and add dozens of gates. The airport expects much of the funding to come from American and United, but both carriers have announced cost-cutting plans through 2020 and 2021 that could complicate financing. Negotiations are ongoing, and the outcome will be pivotal to O’Hare’s standing among U.S. hubs as New York, Atlanta and Los Angeles continue to compete aggressively.
In November, city and county officials opened a new 10-mile stretch of highway west of the airport, part of a $3.4 billion infrastructure project designed to provide western access to O’Hare by 2022. The roadway aims to improve access for residents of DuPage and Kane counties and reduce congestion on the airport’s eastern approaches.
O’Hare is not the only Chicago airport undergoing major changes.
Chicago Midway International Airport sits roughly 10 miles closer to the Loop and serves as a vital secondary airport, handling about 22 million passengers annually.
Last October Midway broke ground on a new security checkpoint and bridge expansion. The 80,000-square-foot pavilion will add security lanes, incorporate enhanced screening technology and consolidate operations into a single checkpoint, effectively doubling screening capacity and improving passenger flow.
At the groundbreaking, Mayor Emanuel said, “Over the next three years, we will transform Midway into a truly world-class airport at no cost to taxpayers, while creating hundreds of jobs right here in the community.”
The new checkpoint marks the start of the Midway Modernization Project, a $323 million investment that will upgrade the airport’s infrastructure and passenger amenities.
Both airports face significant and costly projects ahead, but they enter the future with strong reputations. O’Hare was named Best Airport in North America for 14 consecutive years by readers of Global Traveler. This year, O’Hare and Midway were recognized by the Eno Center for Transportation for Flight Connectivity, and both airports received an ACI-NA Excellence in Airport Concessions Award for sustainable concessions practices.