Philippine Airlines starts first nonstop flights between Manila and Chicago O'Hare
Philippine Airlines launched its first nonstop service between Manila and Chicago O'Hare on 9 November, a three-times-weekly route that Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson welcomed as a link for one of America's largest Filipino communities.
Philippine Airlines (PAL) launched its first nonstop service between Manila and Chicago on 9 November 2026, linking Ninoy Aquino International Airport with Chicago O'Hare International Airport, the airline said. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson joined the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) and PAL on Monday evening for the inaugural flight, according to a City of Chicago release dated 10 November.
Chicago's Filipino community
Johnson said Chicago shares a special connection with the Philippines and is home to one of America's largest Filipino communities, which he said has contributed tremendously to the city's historical fabric.
The launch of service between O’Hare and Manila links two world-class cities and further secures Chicago’s position as an epicenter of Filipino-American culture.
The city's release says the Chicago metropolitan area is home to the nation's fifth-largest Filipino population and the largest Filipino group in the Midwest, according to the Pew Research Center, and to one of the country's five largest Filipino immigrant populations, as calculated by the Migration Policy Institute. PAL Holdings President and Chief Operating Officer Lucio C. Tan III said that until now, travelling between Chicago and the Philippines often meant connecting through other cities and spending additional hours in transit.
PAL Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Carlos Luis Fernandez said in the airline's announcement, carried by Mindanao Times:
We know that many Filipinos and Filipino-Americans in Chicago, Illinois, and neighboring states have long looked forward to a direct and more convenient connection to the Philippines. We are proud to finally make this possible.
Schedule and route
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Days | Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays |
| Aircraft | Airbus A350-900 |
| Scheduled arrival at O'Hare | 4:55 p.m. |
| Scheduled departure for Manila | 10:45 p.m. |
| O'Hare terminal | Terminal 5 |
At 8,132 miles, the service is now the longest nonstop passenger route operating out of O'Hare and PAL's third-longest route, the city said. Chicago is PAL's eighth destination across the United States and its territories, and ABS-CBN News listed the airline's existing services as Honolulu, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, New York, Guam and Saipan. PAL said it offers the only nonstop service between the Philippines and Chicago.
The inaugural flight departed from NAIA Terminal 1 after a ceremonial send-off attended by Tan, Fernandez, U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Lee Lipton and Department of Tourism Secretary Bernardita "Dita" Angara-Mathay, among others. The city's release also notes that Chicago's business ties with the Philippines are supported by the Philippine Consulate General in Chicago and the Philippine American Chamber of Commerce Greater Chicago.
Read the web like we doTurn any page into clean, ready-to-use data with FirecrawlKey facts
- Philippine Airlines launched its first nonstop service between Manila and Chicago O'Hare International Airport on 9 November 2026.
- The service runs three times weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on an Airbus A350-900 and operates out of O'Hare's Terminal 5, the City of Chicago said.
- Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson joined the Chicago Department of Aviation and Philippine Airlines for the inaugural flight and said the city is home to one of America's largest Filipino communities.
- At 8,132 miles, the O'Hare-Manila route is now the longest nonstop passenger route operating out of O'Hare and is the eighth for Philippine Airlines in the U.S. and its territories, according to the city.
Official sources
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