American Airlines has announced that it will offer premium cabin seats on every flight from its Chicago-O’Hare hub this coming summer. This news comes after the Fort Worth based carrier is attempting to pivot towards more premium offerings after losing ground to rivals like Delta and United.
The airline will fly more from Chicago than ever before with larger aircraft and premium options on every flight this summer. Beginning in June, American operate all flights to and from Chicago-O’Hare International Airport (ORD) with dual-class aircraft.
This has been made possible by the airline ending it’s regional contract with Air Wisconsin which operates CRJ-200s on behalf of American. This represents 40% more premium cabin seats when compared to the Summer 2024 schedule.
Ben Humphrey, American’s Vice President of ORD Operations, had this to say about the premium cabin expansion in Chicago:
“O’Hare has always been a vital hub for American, connecting the Midwest to our global network and bringing travelers from across the world to Chicago for business and pleasure. Strengthening our network is a promise to our customers that we’ll continue to provide exceptional service to the places they want to go. And it reinforces to our partners and stakeholders that we’ll be an economic driver for the region well into the future — all powered by our Chicago team members who are the best at putting our customers first.”
American Airlines and its regional partners are planning to operate up to 480 daily flights from Chicago-O’Hare this summer. This marks an increase of 25% more seats and 22% more departures than prior year.
In addition to operating 100% of its flights with premium cabins from Chicago, American is also expanding its route network with new routes between Chicago and Europe. Some of these flights make up the airline’s largest schedule to Italy ever for Summer 2025.
Summary
American Airlines is making significant advancements in its hub at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD). As of June 2025, all flights to and from the airport will be operated by dual-cabin aircraft featuring premium offerings on every flight.
This news comes after American ended its contract with CRJ-200 regional operator Air Wisconsin and is looking to refocus on premium offerings in an effort to win back market share from Delta and United.
Congrats to AA. 480 is a lot of flights for them at O’hare. First/Business Class on all flights is great selling point for corporate traffic.