American and Chicago’s legal battle: an update to multiple lawsuits between them

Fort Worth-based carrier American Airlines has, since February 2024, been having multiple legal disagreements with the city of Chicago over gate allocations and favoring competitor United Airlines. Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in May 2025, American filed one of two lawsuits alleging O'Hare engaged in lease violations and breach of fair access and requesting injunctive relief to halt gate allocations. The other lawsuit filed in 2024 is due to unfair gate allocations in the Terminal 5 expansion. This case is actively in discovery. In June 2025, the city of Chicago argued American misunderstood lease agreements and placed a motion to dismiss, but the judge rejected the claim. The FAA in both lawsuits promises equal opportunity to American Airlines, as it is required to give equal access in federally funded airports. Both have recently made press releases, and they both seem to have completely different claims. The city claims they are giving fair space, while American claim not. The next court date is set for September 2025, and hopefully, both parties will come to a resolution. Chicago is a key hub for American Airlines, and I hope the competition between American and United for Chicago will continue.