United Makes Major Move Against American Airlines

American Airlines and United Airlines are longtime competitors, and that rivalry heated up a bit this week as United made a pretty significant countermove against American.

Just one day after American Airlines announced three new routes, United countered by adding those exact same routes out of the exact same city.

American Announced New Routes

On Thursday, American Airlines announced several new routes that it would be adding next year, including three new routes out of Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.

The three new routes were to Erie, Pennsylvania, Lincoln, Nebraska, and Tri-Cities, Tennessee, with each of them beginning in either the spring or summer of 2026.

“All destinations served from ORD this spring will return next year, making American the only hub carrier at the airport to achieve this feat,” the airline said in its press release via From the Tray Table.

This was a pretty significant move from American, as it has continued to compete with United for dominance in the major airport.

United Airlines Punches Back

Just one day after American Airlines announced these new routes, United punched back in a big way, announcing plans to add those exact same routes. However, it doesn't stop there.

While United was indeed adding the exact same routes that American had just announced the day before, it took it a step further by adding even more frequency than American, as Zach Griff of From the Tray Table points out.

“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 via From the Tray Table.

It's not all that hard to read between the lines and see what's happening here, and it's a pretty clear chess move from United against American in a longstanding battle for superiority in Chicago. We'll have to see how American responds.