October 22, 2025
New service includes six United-unique destinations such as Santa Barbara, CA (SBA); Eugene, OR (EUG); and St. George, Utah (SGU)
CHICAGO - United Airlines is adding 10 new domestic destinations from Chicago O'Hare in 2026, made possible by the addition of five new gates the airline received through the City's annual reallocation process. The new gate space, which was secured earlier this month, allows United to expand its network and offer customers more options next year to unique leisure and outdoor destinations across the country, including cities no other airline serves from Chicago. The new destinations facilitate even more connectivity through Chicago, driving further economic growth in United’s hometown city.
"Thanks to the new gates we secured at O'Hare this month, we're adding 10 new domestic routes next year, giving Chicago travelers more options than ever to explore unique destinations across the country as well as bringing these cities to experience all that Chicago has to offer," said Patrick Quayle, Senior Vice President of Global Network Planning and Alliances. "United is already flying its busiest schedule in history at O'Hare, and now these additional gates have unlocked new opportunities to intertwine cities across the country, serve more customers in Chicago and strengthen our hometown hub."
Six of the new destinations will be served exclusively by United from O'Hare, including:
In addition to these United-exclusive routes, the airline will also introduce new service to several regional markets in the upper Midwest and Pacific Northwest, including:
United will also expand several weekend-only routes to daily service starting next summer, giving customers more travel options throughout the season. These destinations include Hilton Head, South Carolina (HHH); Halifax, Nova Scotia (YHZ); Sun Valley, Idaho (SUN); Aruba (AUA); and Nassau, Bahamas (NAS). Additionally, West Palm Beach, Florida (PBI) will go from seasonal service to year-round daily service.
Today's network expansion underscores United's commitment to its hometown hub and providing Chicagoans with more nonstop options across the country and around the globe. The additional gate space at O'Hare has also enabled United to resume service between Chicago and Tel Aviv (TLV) for the first time since 2023, beginning in November, as well as extend seasonal service to Dublin, Ireland (DUB) to operate year-round.
Under the 2018 use and lease agreement that governs the airport, O'Hare's gates are reallocated based on how many flights each carrier flew in the prior year. This year, United drove record-breaking passenger volumes at O’Hare - flying more seats from the airport than they have in the past 20 years, accounting for a staggering 99% of the airport’s total seat growth this year compared to 2019.
To support the continued growth at O'Hare, United recently hired more than 2,000 new local employees, bringing the total number in the Chicagoland area to more than 18,000. And, by 2027, United expects to hire 5,400 more.
Tickets for all these new flights are on sale today.