Spirit Airlines to Transfer Two O'Hare Gates to United Airlines

Spirit asked the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York to approve a deal that would transfer two O’Hare gates (G12 and G14) to United for $30.2 million.

Spirit said two major airlines bid for the gates, and it selected United based on price and operational fit. If the judge approves the transfer in late February, Spirit said it would use the $30.2 million fee to prepay term loans under its debtor-in-possession financing.

Spirit already sold two O’Hare gates to American Airlines

The proposed United transaction follows Spirit’s earlier O’Hare gate sale to American. In that deal, a bankruptcy judge approved American’s purchase of gates G8 and G10 for $30 million on December 8, 2025, after Spirit said it no longer needed its full set of four valuable Terminal 3 gates as its O’Hare flying shrank. The court-approved American transaction also notes that Spirit had cut peak daily flights from about 32 to roughly half, a key reason behind both gate moves.

Gate-constrained rivalry and a bigger Chicago capacity push

The gate transfers are unfolding as United and American intensify competition at O’Hare, a rare US market where two legacy carriers fight for schedules and corporate demand.

United says it plans to fly up to 750 departures a day from Chicago O’Hare in summer 2026, its biggest schedule there. Because United and American are battling over gates at O’Hare, gate space can limit how quickly either airline can add flights at busy times. In that context, Spirit’s bankruptcy gate transfers are a near-term way for those gates to move from Spirit to larger airlines at O’Hare.

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