"This is the first flight west of Richmond to serve Newark," Virginia Aviation Board member Don Long told CBS19 on the Thursday that Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport celebrated United's first Newark flight.
The service started September 24, 2026, and runs daily. Another change is about a month away. American Airlines brings back twice-daily nonstop service to Chicago O'Hare on November 2, 2026. For Earlysville households already pricing Thanksgiving and December trips, these two additions matter more as connecting airports than as destinations. Once Chicago returns, each of the three airlines at CHO will offer more than one connecting airport from the same small terminal. Choosing a holiday route now starts with the hub, and the airline follows from that.
Three airlines, each with more than one hub
The airport's airline page, last updated in August 2026, lists these nonstops for the fall.
| Airline | Nonstops from CHO this fall | What changes this season |
|---|---|---|
| American | Charlotte, New York-LaGuardia | Chicago O'Hare returns November 2 |
| Delta | Atlanta, New York-LaGuardia | No change announced |
| United | Washington-Dulles, Chicago | Newark added September 24 |
Every row has at least two hubs. A year-end trip to the West Coast could connect through Charlotte, Atlanta, Dulles or, starting in November, O'Hare on American. A trip to Europe could go through Dulles or Newark on United, or through LaGuardia on American or Delta. The real choice is which connecting airport fits the dates, the fare and the layover you can live with.
One detail on Chicago is still unclear. The airline page lists Chicago under United's daily nonstops, and the same page promotes American's return on November 2. None of the airport's published material says whether United's Chicago flights continue once American comes back. If you're booking O'Hare for late November or December, check the airline's own schedule instead of assuming both carriers will be flying it.
Newark gives New York a third nonstop, and the plane matters
Before September 24, Earlysville's nonstop options to New York were LaGuardia on American and LaGuardia on Delta. Newark makes three, and the airport calls New York City its largest passenger market.
Newark also opens a door overseas. The airport's release describes it as United's largest international gateway, with nonstop flights to more than 40 destinations across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and India. Long made the same point at the inaugural, saying the route "adds a lot of international flights through Newark."
The aircraft is worth knowing before you choose a seat. United flies the route on a 50-seat CRJ550 with 10 First Class seats, 20 Economy Plus seats with extra legroom, and larger overhead bins. With one daily flight on a 50-seat plane, there isn't much room for a late booking around Thanksgiving.
Chicago's return, by the clock
American's published schedule for the returning O'Hare service lists two round trips a day.
- CHO to ORD: departs 8:35, arrives 9:44
- CHO to ORD: departs 18:41, arrives 19:51
- ORD to CHO: departs 14:01, arrives 17:11
- ORD to CHO: departs 19:45, arrives 22:55
The release says O'Hare connects CHO passengers to 187 destinations, that the schedule currently includes First Class, and that aircraft and onboard amenities can change, as they can with any airline schedule. On a December trip home, the 19:45 departure from O'Hare gets you back to CHO at 22:55, which leaves room for a long day of connections before the last leg.
A word on timing, since one local report got it wrong. A July 20 article in Cville Right Now said American had already resumed Chicago service that month. The airport's own July 1 announcement gives November 2, 2026 as the return date, and the airline page still says "Chicago is coming back."
Routes this good have disappeared before
Both new routes arrive at an airport that has more passengers than it did a few years ago, though still fewer than before the pandemic. CHO's enplanement table shows 393,363 boardings in 2019, 133,755 in 2020 and 351,624 in 2024, the most recent full year it lists. That's a big rebound from 2020, and 2024 was still roughly 11 percent below 2019. The airport's April 2025 report showed fiscal-year-to-date boardings of 297,951, up 11 percent from the year before and 4 percent below the same point in fiscal 2019.
Routes at CHO have come and gone. The Daily Progress reported that the airport would lose its daily direct Philadelphia flight "less than a year after its return." Philadelphia isn't on the current airline list. The airport ties each addition to its future. Jeff Richardson, chairman of the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport Authority, said in the Newark release that "every new route strengthens our ability to serve our community." In September 2026 the airport also posted a public notice for an Air Carrier Incentive Program.
The Philadelphia history doesn't predict what will happen to Newark or Chicago. It does show that the route map an Earlysville household plans around can change from one year to the next.
The parking math for a long holiday trip
The lot you choose makes a real difference on a trip that spans a holiday. As of the airport's parking page, last updated in June 2026, the short-term and long-term lots each top out at $13 a day, the economy lots at $9 a day, and every public pay lot is free for the first 30 minutes. Daily charges run in 24-hour cycles from the time stamped on your ticket.
At those maximums, a Thanksgiving trip covering five full 24-hour cycles costs $45 in economy and $65 in long-term, a $20 difference. A ten-cycle December trip doubles that gap to $40. The CHO Connector shuttle runs from before the first flight until after the last one lands and stops at every shuttle stop. If your Chicago return lands at 22:55, the shuttle will still be running. The long-term lot does have elevator service for luggage.
A few practical details apply to every route:
- Payment. The short-term and economy lots are automated and take credit cards only. Cash is accepted only at the Pay-On-Foot station in baggage claim.
- Security. The TSA checkpoint opens daily at 4 a.m. The airport's terminal guide says TSA PreCheck is available.
- Food before the 8:35 to Chicago. The concessions page lists Turbo Grill, Copilot Coffee and Radar Bar, open from 4 a.m. until the last flight leaves.
- What's under review. In July 2026 the airport issued a request for proposals to replace its parking access and revenue control system, and it has notices out for a new terminal chiller system.
If you have questions about parking before a long trip, the airport lists its administrative office at 434-973-8342.
When a work transfer or family move means you're comparing Earlysville with other places, it helps to know which hubs your nearest airport actually reaches. Questions like that are part of the relocation planning Patricia Irby does with families. Let's connect over coffee and work through how CHO's route map fits your travel before the next move.
