1 week Ago By Gaurav Joshi
Airline rivalry can take many forms. Mostly it plays out through network consolidation and encroaching on others' territories, but sometimes cheeky ads are also used. Something similar is happening currently at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, where United Airlines is trolling American Airlines for its recent growth at the airport.
Whether it’s billboards around the airport or targeted digital ad campaigns for its loyalty program, United is focused on attracting more customers. United Trolls American Airlines Two major carriers in the US are battling it out to attract more customers at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD). A major hub for both United Airlines and American Airlines , the airport is seeing expansion by both players.
However, United Airlines has stepped up its game as far as campaigning for passengers is concerned and has produced cheeky ad campaigns targeting its competitors, such as American Airlines. A huge sign at O’Hare’s upper-level drive greets visitors, pointing them to Terminal 2 for “Chicago’s # 1 Airline,” referring to United Airlines and Terminals 3 and 5 for “The Rest.” Get all the latest aviation news right here on Simple Flying.
United even took a dig at American Airlines’ official statement where it said that it would operate 480 daily flights out of O’Hare this summer. United cheekily wrote above that ad, “check notes, we have more,” referring to its own daily departures out of the airport. For its MileagePlus program, United also released a promo recently trying to attract passengers from other airlines with a list including American, Delta, and Southwest and statements such as “Match your status and start enjoying MileagePlus Premier perks like priority airport services, complimentary access to Economy Plus seating, free checked baggage, bonus miles, upgrades and more.
” Expansion In Chicago Coming back to Chicago O’Hare, both American and United have a big presence there and have big plans for the future. In February, American Airlines announced that it would fly more from Chicago than ever before, with larger aircraft and premium options on every flight this summer. The carrier announced several new routes for the summer season, including Chicago’s only nonstop service to Naples, Italy (NAP), as well as the addition of flights to Honolulu.
American’s new 2025 destinations from O’Hare include: Madrid, Spain (MAD) commencing March 30 with Boeing 787-8 services Naples, Italy (NAP) commencing May 6 with Boeing 787-8 services Bismark, North Dakota (BIS) commencing June 5 with Embraer E175 services Boise, Idaho commencing June 5 with Embraer E175 services Colorado Springs, Colorado (COS) commencing June 5 with Bombardier CRJ700 services Spokane, Washington (GEG) commencing June 5 with Embraer E175 services Halifax, Canada (YHZ) commencing June 21 with Embraer E175 services Hyannis, Massachusetts (HYA) commencing June 21 with Embraer E175 services Honolulu, Hawaii (HNL) commencing October 26 with Boeing 787-8 services American Airlines is adding nine new destinations and larger aircraft for its summer services at Chicago O'Hare International Ben Humphrey, American’s Vice President of ORD Operations, commented, “O’Hare has always been a vital hub for American, connecting the Midwest to our global network and bringing travelers from across the world to Chicago for business and pleasure.” United Airlines, too, is flying more seats from Chicago O’Hare than it has in the past 20 years. The carrier also expects to have more gates at the airport this fall.
It’ll be interesting to see how the rivalry between these two airlines plays out in the future. Taking Aim At Competitors Airlines often produce targeted ads aimed at their rivals, particularly focusing on some incidents. Back in the day, when India’s full-service airline Jet Airways was still flying, it did something similar.
IndiGo was in the news a few years ago for its staff member pinning a passenger down in a physical assault incident. Jet Airways sensed an opportunity and posted a cheeky message online that said, “We beat our competition, not you.” Sometimes, senior airline executives take aim at their rivals through comments, like in the case of Southwest Airlines recently.
The carrier announced its decision to scrap the policy of free checked bags, to which major US airline CEOs reacted. United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said, “It will be a really big deal for Southwest. It would be good for everyone else.
” The carrier has made a major shift..
