The tribune is reporting that the Daley Administration has reached a deal with United and American Airlines to continue building new runways at O'Hare Airport. The deal is a coup for Daley in that it puts an end to the lawsuit filed by the two airlines to stop the project, which is part of the O'Hare expansion. more ›

Mayor Daley has consulted his crystal ball and said the time to expand O’Hare Airport is now, despite dwindling air traffic levels and a lawsuit filed by the airlines to prevent the expansion plan. more ›

One of our best flight ever was a British Airways flight from O'Hare to London's Heathrow Airport where we asked the Flight attendant for a Bacardi and Coke every 30 minutes until we passed out, then every fifteen after. We woke up at one point on the flight caked in drool with six rums and Coke in front of us. Those were the days. more ›

American Airlines has announced it's expanding its service out of O'Hare. Thanks to a magical new $2.9 billion in financing, the airline will grow its presence at four major hubs, which includes adding 57 new flights to its schedule at O'Hare starting early next year. The other three hubs seeing more AA flights will be Dallas/Ft. Worth, New York, and Miami; on the flip-side, services will be cut in St. Louis and Raleigh. One of the new flights is a non-stop to Beijing which had originally been planned for this year. Smaller markets will see more flights to and from Chicago as well, including Fargo, ND, Sioux Falls, SD, and Charleston, WV. [Tribune, Amer. Airlines] more ›

Yesterday, on the 30th anniversary of the incident, we looked back at the horrific crash of American Airlines Flight 191. Now, families of some of the crash's victims say they think a memorial is in order. CBS 2's Vince Gerasole talked to sisters Kim Jockl and Melody Smith, whose parents died in the crash. Said Smith, "If people can find some peace, they need to have a place to do that." There's currently only one local memorial: a park in Northbrook named after Larry Fink. But the sisters have started an online petition they hope spreads the word and will lead to a more permanent memorial to all the victims who died in the crash. more ›

• A pilot for American Airlines was arrested yesterday for showing up drunk for his London-to-Chicago flight.
• It looks like there will be a new judge in the Drew Peterson case, though who that new judge will be is not yet known.
• For sale: Parking space at Naperville Metra stop. $8,900 OBO.

American Airlines flight 268 landed at O'Hare shortly after 1:50 p.m. and ran off the runway. No injuries were reported in the incident. more ›

It seems like a Blue Line detour is the least of the worries for travelers out of O'Hare. From January to May of this year, O'Hare reported the worst on-time record of major U.S. airports, falling from 64.4 percent last year to 63.2 percent this year. This in spite of the fact that the total number of flights was reduced by 4.6 percent, thanks in large part to major flight cutbacks from American and United. It could be worse, however. A similar report in Europe has London's Heathrow Airport as the worst airport on that continent with a staggering 56 percent on-time departure rate. more ›

American Airlines is going to "test" in-flight internet access starting tomorrow on some flights from LA to New York, and while the testing phase is free, the airline plans to charge for access down the road, so get ready to pony up between $9.95 to $12.95 if you 1. fly American and 2. can't go a few hours without internet. [AP] more ›

This one slipped through the cracks yesterday, but Division Street calls our attention to Sandi Jackson's latest crusade: that $15 fee American is charging on checked baggage. It's discriminatory, she says. more ›

American Airlines has been taking it on the chin in recent weeks, from having their flights grounded for inspections to their announcement this week that they're charging an extra fee for luggage to make up for rising fuel prices. This week, we revisit one of the more tragic moments in American Airlines history. more ›

Photo by Matt.Hintsa. more ›

American canceled 138 flights out of O'Hare today and as many as 850 flights nationally, stranding passengers and making everyone extremely grumpy. more ›

There was very little else for Londonist to be concerned with when the threat of a Tube strike became a very unpleasant reality. The inconvenience was extreme: there aren't many alternatives to the Tube in London despite the best efforts of the Londonist team to get everyone from A to B. Brighter news came in the form of the first ever female Yeoman Warder, or Beefeater as the position is more commonly known, and... more ›

What do The Gap, American Airlines, the main titles for Little Miss Sunshine and Royal Bank of Scotland have in common? They all use the same typeface: Helvetica. Born in 1957 its clean, "neutral" look was revolutionary. 50 years later, and it's omnipresent. If you keep your eyes peeled you'll see it everywhere around you, on practically every city street, in every newspaper and magazine and, most of all, in advertising. Why? As Finlo... more ›

To some people – more specifically the U.S. food safety police – sous vide are two very bad words. But the people at Cuisine Solutions, an international food manufacturing company with its U.S. headquarters in Alexandria, Va., that utilizes this style of cooking for the food it prepares for the first-class cabins of Air France and American Airlines, as well as large hotel chains, are working hard to change that perception, and at their recent... more ›

We often fall back on really out-of-date stereotypes, like that the majority of all journalists are men, or that Tom Cruise is a good actor. One of them — that, unless it's spring break, airline passengers are primarily businessmen — is being directly challenged by American Airlines. more ›

Famed Chicago chefs Gale Gand, Rick Tramonto and Rick Bayless are among those cooking sample dishes for the 13th annual Bag Hunger Auction. Held on Nov. 15 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, the silent auction benefits the Greater Chicago Food Depository. Gand and Tramonto co-chair the event, which features more than 25 chefs from notable Chicago restaurants including Tru, Frontera Grill, Topolobampo, West Town Tavern, TIMO, 160 Blue, Ina's and Heaven on Seven. Food and... more ›

While planes are managing to stay on the runaway this week, problems of a less frightening and more mundane sort are starting to pile up at Chicago's airports as the holiday travel season begins. more ›

Actually, it isn't really, considering how much fighting goes on about O'Hare and Chicago's other airports, but Chicago officials, airlines and Illinois Congressmen have been jumping all over the Federal Aviation Administration's plans to extend flight caps at O'Hare Airport. Using an authority under the now-eliminated High Density Rule, the FAA and Department of Transportation can limit the number of flights taking off and landing at O'Hare, Laguardia, JFK and Ronald Reagan National. Last year, following years of complaints about delays, the FAA enacted a ceiling, resulting in a sharp decline in reported flight delays out of O'Hare. The new FAA flight caps would last until 2008. more ›

An American Airlines plane made an emergency landing today at O'Hare when not a duck.. but a goose was sucked into the engine and the engine started on fire shortly after takeoff. A spokeswoman said that the pilot saw the birds and tried to avoid them but couldn't. more ›

An American Airlines flight from Chicago (ORD) to New York City (LGA) was was diverted to Pittsburgh (PIT) last night after a passenger discovered a bomb threat on a fold-out tray table. more ›

A Cook County couple is suing American Airlines over what they claim is false advertising. Two years ago Jerome and Judith O'Callaghan say they bought American Airlines tickets to Paris because they advertised that their seats have more legroom. Instead they say they were so cramped up in seats 19A and 19B on a Boeing 767 that they suffered back and leg pain throughout their vacation and after they got home. The lawsuit claims that Judith, who suffered from back injuries, had been assured there would be plenty of legroom in her seat. When she saw the seats they were assigned they tried to request roomier seats but were denied. Jerome says that his legs were so unsteady after the flight that he tripped at the entrance to the Basilica of St. Paul's in Rome - an injury that resulted in a broken nose and smashed teeth. They are seeking more than $100,000. more ›