Chicago O'Hare named the most connected airport in the Americas as US hubs extend their reach, OAG Megahubs 2026 shows

Chicago rises to 5th globally with potential connections up nearly 10%; Nashville and Midway among the fastest-growing US domestic airports

Chicago, Sept. 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- OAG, the intelligence partner for global travel, today published Megahubs 2026, its annual ranking of the world's most internationally connected airports. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) is the most connected airport in the Americas, and in the global rankings rises to fifth from seventh in 2025.

O'Hare's potential international connections grew by 9.8% over the year to August 2026, with destinations served expanding from 297 to 308, the third-largest international reach of any airport in the world behind Istanbul and Frankfurt. United Airlines is the dominant carrier at the airport, operating 49% of flights, notably lower than the dominant carrier share at most comparable US hubs and reflecting O'Hare's unusually diverse airline mix.

In OAG's US Domestic Megahubs ranking, O'Hare leads with 83,647 potential connections across 227 domestic destinations (up from 214 last year). Atlanta (ATL) holds second place with 170 domestic destinations. Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) ranks third with 47,183 potential connections across 195 destinations.

Several airports have moved significantly in the domestic rankings. San Francisco (SFO) makes the largest jump, rising from 17th to 11th. Los Angeles (LAX) rises from 10th to 7th. Chicago Midway (MDW) recorded a 23% increase in potential connections, and Nashville (BNA) a 27% increase, both pointing to the growing connectivity of mid-size US markets.

"Chicago's rise to the top of the Americas reflects both United's network expansion and the airport's position as the country's most diverse hub by carrier mix," said John Grant, Chief Analyst at OAG. "The growth in potential connections at Nashville and Midway is also significant. These markets are expanding their reach faster than many of the established Megahubs."

Nine of the top 10 North American Megahubs are in the United States, with Toronto (YYZ) the sole Canadian airport, moving up from eighth to sixth in the regional rankings.

All Megahubs 2026 data and methodology is available at https://www.oag.com/megahubs-2026

About OAG

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Anna Milchem
OAG Aviation Worldwide
pressoffice@oag.com