American Airlines Commemorates 70 Years Of Service At Chicago O'Hare

Fort Worth, Texas-based American Airlines is celebrating a milestone anniversary at its sole Midwest hub. The legacy carrier marked seven decades of serving the Windy City on Wednesday.

It comes as the airfield at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) has been more of a battlefield in recent months. For decades, American has gone head-to-head with United Airlines, but the competition and rivalry seem hotter than ever.

History Meets Heritage

October 29, 1955 is not only a special day for American, but also for ORD itself. Trans World Airlines (TWA) operated the first passenger flight that officially opened ORD for commercial service. Following a dedication ceremony with around 23,000 people in attendance, TWA flight 94 took off for Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG) in Paris. American completed a $500 million acquisition of TWA after the trunk carrier filed for its third and final bankruptcy in 2001. TWA, alongside the heritages of many other defunct carriers that make up American today, are remembered via a collection of narrowbody planes that don special retro liveries.

To bring history to life, American partnered with the City of Chicago to reenact ORD’s first passenger flight. Although it was not bound for Paris, American deployed N915NN – a Boeing 737-800 painted TWA’s iconic red-striped livery – to operate AA2743 to Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC). In the terminal, the airline hosted a surprise celebration at gate K5 for the passengers onboard. A water cannon salute marked the occasion as N915NN taxied out for departure.

Julie Rath, American’s Senior Vice President of Global Airports, Contact Centers and Inflight Dining Operations, spoke about the airline’s partnership with Chicago.

“We’re proud to stand with our partners today at the City of Chicago and Chicago Department of Aviation to honor the incredible history we share and celebrate the investments we’ve made together to elevate Chicago as a world-class destination.”

From The 50’s To Now

N915NN was not American’s only retro aircraft to be at ORD for the celebration. The airline also deployed another 737-800 – N905NN – which is commonly known as the Astrojet. Its striking polished aluminum theme pays homage to American’s glory years in the late 1950s to 1960s as it received new jet-powered aircraft.

Following the historic departure of TWA flight 94, scheduled passenger service at ORD officially began the day after, on October 30, 1955. American operated the first scheduled arrival, which was flight 715 from Detroit. The carrier also operated the first scheduled departure – AA566 to Cincinnati.

Throughout 70 years, American has had many firsts in the Windy City. In 1959, it became the first airline to operate jets at ORD, deploying the 707 between Chicago and San Francisco. The carrier introduced the world’s first scheduled Douglas DC-10 service between Chicago and Los Angeles. The widely recognizable “Hall of Flags,” installed in 1986, is inside its dedicated H and K concourses at Terminal 3. The hall came to fame in 1990, making its screen debut in the holiday box-office hit Home Alone, as the McCallister family rushed to catch a flight to Paris.

In 2000, American launched all-jet service at ORD with its regional brand, American Eagle. 15 years later, the carrier operated the airport’s first 787 Dreamliner flight. Over the course of eight years, from 2017 to 2025, American opened a Flagship lounge, added five new gates, and unveiled a second hangar.

Expanding Amid A Turf War

Also this year, the carrier has significantly enlarged its footprint and investment in Chicago. 24 new destinations have been added to its route map from ORD, including service to Naples, Italy, which is Chicago’s only nonstop connection to the leisure city. ORD is American’s third-largest hub, with service to over 160 destinations across 17 countries.

United, which is headquartered in the Windy City, is ORD’s largest carrier. Earlier this year, the two carriers were involved in a legal battle over airport gates. Last month, a judge ruled that United would be granted additional gates following American’s lawsuit. Amid the ongoing turf war, United last week announced it would expand at ORD with 10 new routes.

According to The Dallas Morning News, leaked comments from United’s CEO Scott Kirby hinted that he thinks American would have no choice but to downsize and de-hub ORD due to its growth. Despite the remarks, Robert Isom, American’s CEO, commented during an earnings call earlier this month that the carrier is anticipating more growth in Chicago.

“Chicago can support two hub carriers, it’s been doing it forever,” he explained. “American has served Chicago now for almost 100 years and we’re looking to serve it well into the future…As we look out into the future, we anticipate that Chicago will return to its rightful place as one of our largest and more profitable hubs.”