The Transportation Department said today that a series of storms in late May led to 14 American Eagle flights being delayed at O'Hare International Airport for longer than three hours in a single day. that made up the majority of 16 total flights that experienced extended delays in May. more ›

Earlier this morning, we mentioned that the weather outside was "bowling shoe ugly." So far, it's more than living up to that description. more ›

Midway Airport is going to get one full body scanner, purchased with federal stimulus funds, per Chicago Breaking News. more ›

O'Hare International Airport has been named the Best Airport in America by the Global Traveler for the sixth year in a row, and many people are scratching their heads right now and trying to figure out what about O'Hare could possibly make it the best airport in America. Sure, the facilities are top-notch and the airport is freakin' huge, but isn't this the same airport that was once known for its terrible on-time departures record and its uncomfortable sleeping areas? more ›

Numerous snow events are being blamed for the poor on-time departure rankings for the city's airports in January. Of the country's 29 busiest airports, O'Hare ranked 26th for on-time departures (74 percent) while Midway ranked last (69 percent), according to the the U.S. Department of Transportation report. As for arrivals, the two fared a bit better: Midway was 19th overall with 78 percent of arrivals on time and O'Hare was 23rd place with 76 percent of flights arriving on time. Number one overall? Seattle-Tacoma where 89 percent of departures and 86 percent of arrivals were on time. Yeah, but do they have life-size statues of the Blues Brothers? Didn't think so. more ›

Mega tech-company Google is giving the people what they want: free wi-fi at airports across the nation. Unfortunately for Chicago, where Google coincidentally has an office, neither of our city's airports will be offering the free wi-fi, instead sticking with their current pay-as-you-go wi-fi setup. But take heart, weary travelers: FOX 32 has a full list of the 47 airports around the country that are getting in on the free action, so as you head off to destinations far-and-wide this holiday season, at least you know you can view this site for free while stuck in a layover in Kalamazoo (we can hear you all breathing sighs of relief from our office). more ›

There may only be one plane in the fleet, but new airline start-up Jet America jump passengers between inconvenient regional hotspots starting July 13. According to the Chicago Tribune, Jet America is modeled after the British airline Ryan Air, which provides cheap flights on a sliding scale all over Europe. According to its press release, the airline will offer 34 flights per week on its full-sized jet, a Boeing 737-800. The first 9 seats will go for $9 starting today; cities served include Lansing, Mich.; Melbourne-Vero Beach, Fla.; South Bend, Ind.; Toledo, Ohio and New York-Newark, N.J. more ›

After an icy day and foggy night that saw hundreds of flights canceled, the transportation mess is slowly beginning to untangle itself this morning. Both O'Hare and Midway have seen some cancellations this morning, mainly stemming from "out of position" aircraft due to yesterday's extensive cancellations. Still, both airports were reporting few delays. Be sure to call ahead to your airline to check the status of your flight before heading out this morning. Not that you'd do much better driving today with all the flooding. more ›

The acting administrator of the FAA says Chicago needs another airport, or at least a more dramatic expansion of our current two—over and above the massive O'Hare expansion already underway. "Chicago plays too vital a role as an aviation hub not to further upgrade airport capacity, [Robert Sturgell] said, adding that he appreciated the fierce resistance such projects can generate, including from residents worried about noise and air pollution." Appreciated but did not care. [AP]
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Southwest is eliminating 196 flights nationally and 22 flights from Midway, the most of any airport, as a result of high fuel costs. From now on, there will be one fewer flights per day to Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Hartford, Houston, Los Angeles, Manchester, Oakland, Omaha, Orlando, Philadelphiam Pittsburgh,Portland, Providence, Raleigh-Durham, Sacramento, San Diego, St. Louis, and Tucson, and two fewer to Baltimore and Nashville. [Crain's] more ›

The City of Chicago is fighting with the Federal Emergency Management Agency over nearly $6 million in federal disaster money the city used for snow removal in 1999 and 2000. In a complaint filed in federal court, the city says that it had a right to use those funds to clear runways at O'Hare and Midway. FEMA has been trying to recover those funds for three years, contending that airlines should have paid for snow removal services at the airports. “That’s a conclusion we disagree with,” a spokeswoman for the city’s Law Department told Crain's. more ›

Virgin America is petitioning the FAA for two gates at O'Hare for a planned eight flights a day, four to San Fransisco and four to LA. The company expects the FAA to make its ruling by June and to start flying into and out of Chicago around November if things go their way. more ›

The TSA is rolling out a new security-line system at Midway. Starting today, passengers will sort themselves into three different lanes to go through the security check, based on their experience and efficiency as travelers (and packers). People who know the ropes, like business travelers, will go in the expert lane; people who are inexperienced travelers or who have kids with them go in the novice lane; and anyone who's not sure or is somewhere in between goes in the casual lane. more ›

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