New Regional Airline Coming to O’Hare to Serve Three Small Midwest Cities

A new regional airline is coming to O’Hare International Airport, where it will offer flights to three small Midwest cities.

As part of a federal government program to ensure smaller markets continue to receive scheduled air service, Contour Airlines will begin offering flights between O’Hare and Marion, Illinois, Kirksville, Missouri, and Owensboro, Kentucky. The flights are set to begin Aug. 1.

The new flights come as some small airports have had airline service cut in recent years, according to the Regional Airline Association. Those airports are often served by smaller regional carriers on behalf of major airlines, and the regional carriers have been particularly hit by a pilot shortage affecting the industry.

Regional flights can connect smaller airports to major hubs like O’Hare, which was among the busiest airports for the smaller aircraft in the country in recent years. Regional flights made up 57% of the airport’s departures in 2021, Regional Airline Association numbers show.

The new Contour Airlines flights will add three more cities to the list of those served at O’Hare. Flights will be offered on regional jets 12 times per week: twice a day, five days per week, and once per day on the remaining two days.

Contour, founded in 2016 as the regional arm of a broader aviation company, will operate the flights through O’Hare because the airport is the closest American Airlines hub to the three cities, CEO Matt Chaifetz said. Contour has a partnership with American Airlines that allows customers to purchase a single ticket for trips involving connections between the two carriers, and Contour customers’ baggage to be transferred to and from American Airlines’ flights.

The flights will be provided through the federal Essential Air Service program, which is designed to ensure small communities remain connected to the national air network. The U.S. Department of Transportation subsidizes flights to eligible cities, often through hubs such as O’Hare. The new Contour service will receive such a subsidy.

The Department of Transportation is currently subsidizing service to about 115 cities in the contiguous United States and 60 communities in Alaska that would otherwise not have scheduled flights, according to the department.

With the new Contour service, O’Hare will serve 18 cities as part of the program.

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