What happened
United will begin daily San Francisco to Cincinnati flights on Oct. 25, 2026 on a Boeing 737-800 and Saturday only service to West Palm Beach (DJT) on Nov. 7, while shelving 10 Chicago O'Hare routes after the FAA extended O'Hare caps through October 2027.
San Francisco got the new flying after the FAA lifted the hourly cap from 36 to 40 on Aug. 12. The cap is expected to rise to 42 by the end of August. SFO at 42 flights an hour stays under the 54 allowed before the caps.
United took the 10 O'Hare routes off the schedule with no restart date. None of those cities have United service from another hub. The carrier intends to add them from Chicago after the FAA order ends. O'Hare seats are still set to rise nearly 14% versus 2025 as A321neos and 737 Max 9s replace smaller A320s and 737 Max 8s.
Watch winter MileagePlus space on San Francisco to Cincinnati and the Saturday West Palm Beach flight, and leave the 10 postponed O'Hare routes out of trip plans.
- Starts
- Oct 25, 2026
- Numbers
- 10 routes: previously announced Chicago O'Hare routes indefinitely postponed
- 36 flights per hour: SFO hourly flight cap set in April
- 40 flights per hour: SFO hourly flight cap after the Aug. 12 easing
- 42 flights per hour: expected SFO hourly flight cap by the end of August
- 54 flights per hour: SFO hourly flights allowed before the caps
- 14%: United seat growth at O'Hare this year versus 2025
- Where
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO), Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), President Donald J. Trump International Airport (DJT), West Palm Beach, Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD), Central Wisconsin Airport (CWA), Champaign-Urbana Airport (CMI), Erie International Airport (ERI), Kalamazoo/Battle Creek International Airport (AZO)
- Takeaway
- Watch winter award space on SFO–CVG and Saturday SFO–DJT, and do not build trips around the 10 postponed O'Hare routes.