Judge rules in favor of united airlines over gate dispute with american at o’hare

Chicago O’Hare International Airport has long served as United Airlines’ main hub since the 1950s, with American Airlines also maintaining a significant operation there. A recent legal dispute over gate allocations at the airport ended with a judge ruling in favor of United Airlines, allowing it to gain control of five additional gates.

Earlier this year, American Airlines filed a lawsuit in Illinois circuit court against the Chicago Department of Aviation. The carrier sought an injunction to stop the city’s plan to reassign four of its gates to United and grant United five more gates, effective October 2025. American argued that the process violated a 2018 lease agreement designed to guide O’Hare’s planned expansion, claiming the city acted at United’s request and began reallocating gates prematurely.

On September 25, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Thaddeus Wilson dismissed American’s argument. In response, United Airlines president Brett Hart said: “This decision is more than a legal victory, it is a powerful validation of United’s growth, investment and incredible workforce here in our hometown of Chicago.”