Travelers who highly value cheap fares, whether cheap airplane tickets or cheap vacation packages, often go out of their way to avoid Chicagos OHare International Airport. Concerns about flight delays and cancellations, along with huge crowds motivate many travelers to try to avoid this airport.
To improve its reputation and attract more travelers, Chicago has finalized a deal that will allow it to move forward on an expansion plan which calls for new runways, airfield improvements and a new terminal. The goal of this project is to ease congestions and decrease delays that play key roles in many of its over 66 million passengers who use OHare each year.
When the last new runway is completed in 2020 flight delays will be cut by 64 percent, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The total cost of the upgrade is $3.4 billion. Parts of the improvements, including a new west terminal are temporarily on hold, while over one billion dollars worth of work in underway.
The reason only part of the plan is currently underway is because American and United Airlines, each of which have hubs at OHare, sued earlier this year to prevent the sale of one billion dollars in bonds to pay for the project. The airlines claimed that passenger demand is not great enough to justify the expansion and accused the city of violating agreements which give them the right to approve such projects.
A deal was reached in March that ended the airlines lawsuit and allowed the project to proceed. Negotiations regarding the remaining part of the plan will commence by March of 2013.
In January a little under 74 percent of flights departed OHare on time, placing it 21st on a Transportation Department report ranking 29 airports. Chicagos Midway airport turned in the worst performance with only 60 percent of its flights on time. Seattle-Tacoma International came in first with over 85 percent of its flights leaving on time. www.cheapfares.com