Southwest Airlines to Begin Service at O’Hare as Soon as 2021Brian Lendinoon October 12, 2020 at 6:57 pm

Southwest Airlines, the famed “wanna get away” brand that is popular for letting you pick your own seats, will begin operating out of O’Hare International Airport (ORD) as early as mid-2021. To most, this isn’t a big deal. To those who live in Chicago, this is basically as big as a Bears’ Sunday.

Since 1985, Southwest has operated solely out of Chicago’s second airport, Midway International, on the south side of the city. O’Hare, which is much larger and much more crowded, did not offer Southwest service thus making it a frustration to anyone who lives north of 290. Until this point, Midway and Southwest were about as synonymous as the city itself and an Italian beef sandwich. The airline also announced added service in Houston at Bush Intercontinental Airport.

In a statement, the airline stated that, “…[flying out of O’Hare] has been a wish of theirs for a long time” and also that this would not impact anything with their current operations at Midway. In a separate news release, Southwest CEO Gary Kelly said, “Southwest owes decades of success to our employees and customers who have supported our business in Chicago and Houston…today’s announcement furthers our commitment to both cities as we add service to share Southwest’s value and Hospitality with more leisure and business travelers.”

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Featured Image Credit: Southwest Airlines Facebook Page

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