Chicago’s airports were expected to handle more than 1.7 million passengers over the Labor Day weekend, and even with travel peaking Monday, operations were smooth at O’Hare and Midway.
According to the Chicago Department of Aviation, an estimated 1.75 million passengers were expected to use the airports over a six-day period, including nearly 1.44 million at O’Hare.
Monday was expected to be the busiest day of the weekend at O’Hare, with an estimated 270,000 travelers passing through the airport.
“It took a little longer than usual, but it was still pretty painless,” said Taylor Voelker, who was on her way home to Los Angeles. “We got here early and it was pretty easy.”
According to officials, estimated passenger levels were expected to increase by more than 10% during the same weekend in 2023, and an increase of almost 6% compared to 2019.
The national average for a gallon of gasoline was $3.31 this weekend, although a gallon of fuel averaged $3.65 in Illinois. That was still lower than the more than $4 per gallon travelers saw in 2024, making road trips just as appealing.
“We’re from Wisconsin. We decided to come to Chicago because they had better prices, and we’re going to Baltimore,” Nicole Urquhart said.
According to the CDA website, there were only five flight cancellations at O’Hare and none at Midway on Monday, with average delays of less than 15 minutes at each airport.