Even as one of the busiest airports in the country is in the thick of its busiest week of the year, there's actually some good news to be had about O'Hare and delays. The new runway at the airport is being credited as part of the reason that delays are down and on-time flights are up to 80 percent (from 66 percent in the first nine months of 2008). Of course, there is another reason: there are seven percent fewer flights overall thanks to the tanked economy. Still, as some of us pack our bags to take flight this weekend, at least we know that maybe, just maybe, there's a chance that delay won't be as bad as it used to be. more ›

The new O'Hare runway opened to much fanfare (and controversy) last fall, but officials are learning it's now all rainbows and lollipops as residents of Park Ridge are complaining of worsening noise issues. In response, a commission of eight residents and an alderman was formed, called the O'Hare Airport Commission. According to the Tribune, the group, "will monitor noise, advocate for fewer flights over Park Ridge, examine environmental issues, and make recommendations for reducing airplane noise in homes and schools." [Tribune] more ›

Today marks the completion of the first stage of the O'Hare expansion as its new $450 million runway opened for business. The first flight to land on the runway (the first new one in the city in 37 years) was welcomed by Mayor Daley as well as U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters and Federal Aviation Administration chief Bobby Sturgell. Washington D.C.'s Dulles and Seattle's airports also had runway grand openings today. Supporters are promising that the new runway will help alleviate O'Hare's well-known delays.

Synonymous with air-travel angst for decades, O'Hare's delays persist despite a more than 8 percent fall in traffic this year. Mother Nature has been the airport's main vulnerability because when bad weather reduced visibility, controllers could land just two planes at a time -- reducing capacity by a third. more ›