Chicago airports expect to break travel records during the July Fourth holiday weekend, and passengers were already lining up at security Wednesday morning.
The Chicago Department of Aviation said they expect 1.62 million passengers to go through O’Hare and Midway airports over the holiday weekend, and they’re trying to get into the holiday spirit.
In O’Hare Terminal 1, travelers will hear live folk music and might catch a glimpse of Uncle Sam walking around.
In Terminal 3, a special performance was held to celebrate American Airlines announcing a new route from Chicago to Tokyo, bringing the carrier back to Asia for the first time since 2020.
The Chiago Department of Aviation’s commissioner said adding international destinations like this brings new jobs, new business and new visitors.
Sunday is expected to be the busiest day at O’Hare Airport, with more than 300,000 passengers arriving or departing. Travel site Kayak shows Chicago plane tickets are trending about $80 higher than this time last year.
The expected numbers at O’Hare mark an 8.1 % increase over July 4th, 2025.
A spokesperson for Chicago’s Department of Aviation says they’ve ramped up operations, customer service and people mover staffing to handle the increased traffic.
The spokesperson said the air traffic is expected to start growing later Wednesday and last through to Monday, July 6.
