1.6 million passengers set to travel through O'Hare, Midway over Labor Day weekend

The Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) is ready to welcome nearly 1.6 million travelers to O’Hare and Midway International Airports between Thursday, Aug. 31 and Tuesday, Sept. 5, based on projections from airline carriers.

Compared to the same Labor Day travel period last year, O’Hare is expected to see a 7% increase in passengers with more than 245,000 travelers in the airport on Monday, Sept. 4, which airlines project as the busiest day. Airlines project that Midway will experience a nearly 1% increase in passengers over last year with more than 56,000 travelers passing through the airport on its busiest day, Monday, Sept. 4.

"Thanks to the tremendous support of our airline partners, and the ongoing collaboration from multiple federal, state and local agencies, our world-class airports stand ready to welcome visitors to our world-class city," said CDA Commissioner Jamie L. Rhee.

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HAPPY BACK TO SCHOOL SEASON!

Future leaders of Chicago's airports return to CPS classrooms

Aug. 21 was the first day of school for Chicago Public Schools (CPS) students, and the CDA wishes all of Chicago's future aviation professionals a successful new school year.

The department’s Workforce Ambassadors attended several back-to-school bashes over the summer, encouraging local youth to reach for the skies and learn about opportunities at O’Hare and Midway.

Learn more about the CDA’s youth engagement resources

LIGHTNING FAST COMMUTER CONNECTIONS

Pace launches Pulse Dempster Line service from Evanston to O'Hare

Pace Bus launched preview service for the new Pulse Dempster Line this month, kicking off weekly service from Evanston to O’Hare on Sunday, Aug. 13.

The new route will simplify getting to the airport for passengers and O’Hare employees living in Skokie, Morton Grove, Evanston, and other near north suburbs. The Pulse Dempster Line operates along Dempster Street and offers connections to other Pace and CTA bus routes, the CTA Yellow and Purple lines and Metra’s Union Pacific North, Northwest and North Central Service lines.

Initial Pulse Dempster Line service will be limited to Sundays only, with a full rollout of daily service expected later this year.

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AWARDS KEEP ROLLING FOR O'HARE

O'Hare named 'Best Airport Dining' for fourth consecutive year

The CDA is proud to announce that the ninth annual Trazee Awards have named O’Hare International Airport “Favorite Airport Dining” for the fourth year in a row. The awards were presented by trazeetravel.com, a division of Global Traveler written for and by travelers age 25-40.

An award ceremony and reception was held August 15 during the Global Business Travel Association convention in Dallas, Texas. CDA Chief Commercial Officer and Managing Deputy Commissioner Amber Ritter attended to accept the award on the department's behalf.

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CHICAGO'S ITALIAN CONNECTION

AA announces seasonal service from O’Hare to Venice, Italy in 2024

American Airlines will provide daily service from O’Hare to Marco Polo Airport (VCE) in the iconic Italian city of Venice starting in the summer of 2024, the airline and the CDA announced this month.

With service to both Rome and Milan expected to continue next summer, O’Hare International Airport will provide direct service to three Italian cities for the first time ever. Venice will become American’s second Italian destination from O’Hare next summer, along with returning summer seasonal service to Rome. United Airlines provides seasonal summer service to Rome and Milan.

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Boring work underway for storm sewer tunnels that will enable O'Hare 21 development

Enabling work for the O'Hare 21 project continues on the airfield this month. Infrastructure solutions firm HNTB is providing design and construction support services for two tunnels comprising more than 10,000 feet of storm trunk sewer systems, which will divert flows from existing storm sewers to an existing downstream pump station. The tunnel system is 40 feet underground and will feature one 2,800-foot long, nine-foot diameter tunnel and an 8,000-foot long, 14.5-foot diameter tunnel.

This work is completed using tunnel boring machines (TBMs) in order to minimize disruptions to airfield operations and keep the taxiways, runways and terminal aprons above fully operational during construction. This work is one of many crucial enabling projects that will pave the way for the construction of two Satellite Concourses west of the existing terminal core, a key component of O'Hare 21.

CPD recruiters visit Midway

Officers Hernan Javier-Lopez and Nancy Sanchez of the Chicago Police Department’s Recruitment and Retention team stopped by Midway International Airport on Aug. 10 to raise awareness about the CPD’s hiring process and upcoming testing dates.

In addition to letting interested passengers know about career opportunities with the police department, they also spoke to CDA and Transportation Security Administration employees about ways airport staff and CPD work together to help maintain a safe airport environment.

TEST YOUR STRENGTH FOR A GOOD CAUSE

Register for the 2023 Plane Pull to benefit Special Olympics Illinois

Registration is now open for the 2023 Chicago O’Hare Law Enforcement Torch Run Plane Pull, which will take place on O’Hare’s airfield on Saturday, Sept. 30.

The Plane Pull is the ultimate tug-of-war competition. Teams raise funds to benefit Special Olympics Illinois for the opportunity to test their strength by pulling a 95,000-pound aircraft 12 feet as fast as possible.

Teams can register in four divisions: Open, Public Safety, Fitness and Corporate.

Learn more and register

Airport Improvement Magazine highlights O'Hare's new Terminal 5

The latest issue of Airport Improvement Magazine features an extensive cover story diving deep into the improvements made during the Terminal 5 expansion and modernization project, including interviews with CDA Chief Development Officer Rob Hoxie and Commissioner Jamie L. Rhee.

The article provides an in-depth look at all of the design and construction work that went into bringing passengers a new baggage handling system, expanded amenity space, new and renovated gates, and so much more.

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Mayor's Office Summer Fellows tour O'Hare airfield

The CDA welcomed the new class of Mayor’s Office Summer Fellows in mid-June. On Aug. 4, the 20 Fellows attended a presentation about the CDA at O'Hare and were treated to a tour of the airfield. 

The Fellowship program runs through late August, giving the Fellows an opportunity to learn about the inner workings of city government by supporting policy, legislative, data, communications, and public engagement initiatives within city government. The CDA is hosting five fellows who are working in the following projects - Noise Compatibility programs, a Space Project, Concessions, Aviation School, and the Airport Employment Guide.

Commissioner Rhee speaks to Union Trades representatives

CDA Commissioner Jamie Rhee and Deputy Commissioner for Design and Construction Frank Grimaldi spoke to representatives from several local labor unions and trade organizations Aug. 16 at the Aviation Administration Building to provide an overview of the exciting work on the horizon at O’Hare and Midway, particularly under the O’Hare 21 capital improvement program.

The CDA is committed not only to building the future of O’Hare, but to doing so in partnership with Chicago’s communities, the trades, and the men and women of organized labor. These projects will support thousands of union jobs at O’Hare in the coming years.

Elected officials join CDA to welcome inaugural O'Hare Contour flight from Marion

On Aug. 1, the inaugural flight of Countour Airlines’ new service from Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois in Marion (MWA) landed at O’Hare under the federal government’s Essential Air Service program.

CDA Chief Administrative Officer and Managing Deputy Commissioner Tracey Payne joined Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, Comptroller Susana Mendoza, State Sen. Dale Fowler, Carbondale Mayor Carolin Harvey, Marion Mayor Mike Absher, Southern Illinois University Chancellor Austin Lane, and Chicago's Chief Operation Officer, John Roberson, to welcome the flight and cut the ribbon on the new service. The inaugural flight from Marion was welcomed by a water cannon salute on the airfield.

In addition to the daily Marion service, Contour also launched daily flights from O’Hare to Kirksville Regional Airport in Kirksville, Missouri (KRK) and Owensboro-Daviess County Airport in Owensboro, Kentucky (OWB).

CDA attends Black Women's Expo

The CDA Workforce team was among more than 300 exhibitors at the 28th annual Black Women’s Expo from Aug. 4-6 at McCormick Place.

They informed expo attendees about job opportunities at Chicago’s airports and connected entrepreneurs with resources to help their small businesses get involved in upcoming projects at O’Hare and Midway.

Brown Sugar Bakery expands to Hudson shops in O'Hare's Terminal 5

The Goddess and the Grocer in Terminal 5 began carrying Stephanie Hart’s Brown Sugar Bakery products in 2022 after a car drove into the bakery in the Greater Grand Crossing neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side.

Almost a year and a half later, Brown Sugar Bakery’s products are expanding throughout the terminal. Travelers can now buy the bakery’s signature confections at various Hudson retail locations, thanks to a partnership with Hudson and Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield Airports (URW Airports), the terminal's concessions developer.

Read more from URW Airports

ORDer mobile ordering program launches in all terminals at O'Hare

The CDA coordinated with partners Servy, Hyde Park Hospitality and Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) Airports this month to launch ORDer, an airport-wide mobile ordering program at O'Hare.

The ORDer program, available at ORDerORD.com, allows travelers to quickly search, browse, order, and pay for food, beverages, and retail products for pick-up, all from the convenience of their phones.

This launch completes the expansion of mobile ordering across all of O’Hare’s terminals following ORDer’s initial launch at Terminal 5 in 2020. The CDA, Midway Partnership and Hyde Park Hospitality also launched a mobile ordering program at Midway in 2020.

INSPIRING THE FUTURE OF AVIATION

Rickover Academy student completes CDA summer internship program

Johnny Velez, a student at Rickover Naval Academy, recently completed his summer internship with the CDA’s Airport Operations Team. 

Johnny participated in an airfield tour with his high school this spring, which exposed him to various internship opportunities with the CDA and inspired him to come back this summer and pursue one of those roles.

Over the course of the six-week internship, Johnny learned more about O’Hare’s operations and worked directly with the various departments and teams that ensure things run smoothly. He already had an interest in aviation, aspiring to be a pilot, but says this internship has fueled that desire to pursue his dreams even more. 

Johnny’s success is an example of the CDA’s investment in inspiring the next generation of aviation professionals through community outreach events, airfield tours, and mentorship. 

FROM INTERN TO PRO

Former CPS intern lands job with O'Hare 21 CMAR

Darian Gomez, a Chicago Public Schools alumnus from Westinghouse College Prep and a former intern through the CPS Paschen Scholar program, was hired as a Design Management Intern this summer by Turner Paschen Aviation Partners, one of the Construction Managers at-Risk on the O’Hare 21 capital improvement program.

Darian is studying architecture at the University of Miami and is expected to graduate in May 2026. He participated in the internship program at O’Hare in 2018 during his sophomore year at Westinghouse. An airfield tour during that internship sparked his interest in working at the airport.

The CDA is committed to supporting success stories like Darian’s through its youth engagement efforts at O’Hare and Midway to inspire the next generation of pilots, flight crews, ground crews, airport administrators, construction professionals and more.

Learn more about the CDA's youth outreach efforts

• Frontier Airlines: MDW to Cancun, Mexico (CUN) daily service starts Nov. 16
• Southwest Airlines: MDW to Boise, Idaho (BOI) weekly service starts Sept. 9
• Southwest Airlines: MDW to Reno, Nevada (RNO) 2x weekly service starts Sept. 9
• American Airlines: ORD to State College, Pennsylvania (SCE) 2x daily service starts Sept. 25
• United Airlines: ORD to Palm Springs, California (PSP) daily service starts Sept. 29
• Spirit Airlines: ORD to Charlotte, North Carolina (CLT) daily service starts Sept. 6