American Airlines will offer daily flights from Portland to Chicago beginning in June, the newest non-stop service offered by the largest carrier at Portland International Jetport.

The airline plans two trips a day to Chicago O’Hare International Airport between June and October, said Assistant Airport Director Zach Sundquist.

“Obviously, we are very hopeful that will expand,” Sundquist said. Flights to Chicago on 70-seat regional jets will start June 7.

United Airlines has two daily non-stop trips from Portland to O’Hare and Southwest Airlines runs a special Saturday service to Chicago’s Midway International Airport during the summer.

Additional flights to Chicago will also give passengers more connections to cities west of the Mississippi River, Sundquist said. While Portland has good connections to U.S. cities in the Northeast and South, it is trying to boost western flights, he said.

“To have additional seats going westbound has definitely been a top request for our businesses and community and it is something we continue to work on with our partners,” Sundquist said.

American Airlines’ plans for Chicago flights comes after it announced last week that it would start two daily non-stop flights to LaGuardia Airport in New York City in April.

The airline is the largest carrier at the Portland airport, with non-stop connections to Charlotte, North Carolina; Philadelphia; and Washington, D.C.

Peter McGuire can be reached at 791-6325 or at:

pmcguire@pressherald.com

Twitter: PeteL_McGuire

This story was updated at 11:30 a.m. Dec. 19 to clarify the type of flights introduced by American Airlines.