Chicago Explores Sweeping Airport Sponsorship Model to Unlock New Revenue Streams

The Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) is entering an exploratory phase that could reshape how large hub airports approach sponsorship and naming rights, issuing a request for information (RFI) to gauge private-sector interest across a broad range of airport assets.

Rather than responding to a specific financial shortfall, the initiative is rooted in opportunity, according to Amber Ritter, managing deputy commissioner and chief commercial officer.

“We are looking to explore all the ways that we can make our airports the most passenger-friendly airports that we can,” Ritter said. “The time was right to start thinking not only about those new facilities but also our existing facilities — is there an opportunity for revenue that we’re leaving on the table that we haven’t explored?”

The timing aligns with major infrastructure investment, including development of the O’Hare Global Terminal and satellite concourses. As those projects move forward, CDA is evaluating how commercial strategies can evolve alongside them.

Importantly, the RFI is not a procurement process but a discovery exercise designed to understand what the market might propose.

“We’re really just looking for ideas at this point,” Ritter said. “In some ways we don’t even know — we want to hear what the market and the industry might suggest.”

This approach signals a shift from traditional one-off sponsorships toward the possibility of a more integrated program embedded into future airport development.

Protecting Identity While Expanding Commercial Opportunity

While the scope of potential sponsorship assets is intentionally broad — spanning infrastructure, amenities and operational spaces — CDA has already established clear boundaries.

Airport names themselves are not under consideration.

“Butch O’Hare was a World War II hero. Midway, of course, is a World War II battle. Those are important to our history and our culture. We’re not changing that,” Ritter said.

Instead, the department is exploring opportunities that range from small-scale amenities to larger projects. Examples could include sponsored children’s play areas or enhanced service animal relief spaces — initiatives that might otherwise be deferred due to budget constraints.

Such partnerships could allow private sponsors to fund, develop and maintain passenger-facing features while providing branding rights in return.

“That would actually enhance the passenger experience because otherwise perhaps there was no budget for that project,” Ritter explained.

Maintaining public trust and avoiding visual clutter remain central considerations. Ritter emphasized that CDA will retain full discretion over any future agreements.

“We’re certainly not considering selling away our rights… Instead, we’ll be taking a really holistic approach and looking at opportunities that come to us to decide what makes sense,” she said.

For airport leaders watching closely, the message is clear: sponsorship integration must support — not detract from — the passenger journey.

Financial Strategy Extends Beyond Incremental Revenue

Like most U.S. airports operating under residual or hybrid airline agreements, CDA relies heavily on non-aeronautical revenue to offset airline costs.

“Sponsorship… would go to offset the costs of operating at our airports by those airlines,” Ritter said, noting that reducing airline expenses can ultimately benefit travelers through increased competition and lower fares.

The model could also introduce greater financial stability.

“I view it a lot as similar in many ways to our advertising revenue… it might be a hedge to a lot of things including volatile passenger enplanements,” she said.

While CDA currently sees the initiative primarily as an operating revenue opportunity, Ritter acknowledged that sponsorship could also influence capital delivery. Private partners might fund elements of future facilities that would otherwise rely on airline rates or grant funding.

Looking ahead five to 10 years, success would mean establishing a new revenue stream that supplements — rather than cannibalizes — existing sources.

“I see sponsorship as something that potentially is an untapped area that could be added on top of the areas of non-aeronautical that we’re getting now,” Ritter said.

Equally important would be the creation of “creative new projects… that would potentially lend additional amenities to the airport system that we don’t currently have.”

Early Lessons for Airport Leaders

Although the initiative remains in its infancy, Ritter said one early takeaway stands out: airports may underestimate the breadth of what sponsorship can become.

“You might think you understand what sponsorship could look like… but there might be a lot more to learn about what could be out there,” she said.

Public perception has also surfaced as a key communications challenge. Much of the early feedback centered on fears that airport names or terminals would be sold — something CDA has repeatedly ruled out.

Instead, the department is emphasizing partnerships that deliver tangible passenger benefits.

“We are really looking to explore things that result in new passenger amenities… partnerships that can lead to something that would really enhance the passenger experience,” Ritter said.

Responses to the RFI are due Feb. 17, after which CDA will evaluate submissions and determine next steps in coordination with development teams across the airport system.

“At this point there’s more unknowns, but opportunities,” Ritter said. “I see those unknowns as opportunities to explore.”

For an industry increasingly focused on diversifying revenue, Chicago’s exploration may serve as an early indicator of how far airport commercialization could expand in the coming decade.