Boost for Shannon Airport as United Airlines announces new Chicago service

SHANNON Airport has received another significant boost with the announcement by United Airlines that it is to operate a daily non-stop service to Chicago next summer. 

The new service, to O'Hare International Airport, will commence on May 26, 2023 departing Shannon daily at 9.30am

United previously operated a five-times weekly Shannon/Chicago service between 2013 and 2017 and it is envisaged the expanded service on the route could see an additional 30,000 people pass through Shannon Airport next year.

Ryanair adds new routes from Shannon Airport

Welcoming the United announcement,  Mary Considine, CEO, The Shannon Airport Group said: “Today’s announcement by United Airlines that they plan to expand their network at Shannon with a new daily service between Shannon Airport and its hub at Chicago O’Hare airport next year is fantastic news for our customers and for our staff at The Shannon Airport Group. Chicago is a really important U.S. gateway and is a positive addition to the daily services we already offer from Shannon to New York, Boston and Newark/New Jersey."

Ms Considine added that Shannon has performed strongly over the years supporting the local economy with flights to and from North America, boosting tourism and benefitting the business community.

"Our aviation development team have been working hard over the last few years to secure the return of this popular service. United Airlines are a valued airline partner at Shannon. They began operating from our airport in 1998, and since then have carried over 2.2 million passengers," she said.

✈️ NEW ROUTE NEWS ✈️

Introducing @United's latest route... Chicago!

Fly direct to Chicago for a stateside adventure with daily flights from Shannon starting from the 26th May 2023!

Read more about today's announcement: https://t.co/bw8aeTjNzN#shannonairport #makingiteasy pic.twitter.com/3IN9oqrOW9

— Shannon Airport (@ShannonAirport) October 12, 2022

The US preclearance facilities at Shannon means passengers flying from the airport can arrive in the U.S. as domestic passengers, saving them considerable time. The recently-upgraded security screening system has also cut the total journey time for passengers.

“This announcement is proof that United Airlines sees further opportunities for growth at Shannon and we look forward to working closely with them on delivering those extra passengers,” added Ms Considine. 

Commenting on the new service Martina Coogan, United Country Sales Manager for Ireland said: “As the only U.S. airline to offer direct flights from Shannon, we are excited to announce this further expansion of our route network from Ireland to the United States. We expect another busy summer for international travel in 2023 and are proud to build on our industry-leading global network to offer our customers in the west of Ireland even greater travel choice and the possibility to connect via our U.S. hubs to other destinations across the Americas.”  

This new daily service to Chicago will be an addition to the daily service to Newark/New Jersey that United operates at Shannon and which is set to return on April 8, 2023.