The Bond Buyer
American's protest more speed bump than roadblock for Chicago's big O'Hare plans
“Modern American airports are essentially public-private partnerships and airport authorities typically move in concert with their airline, so to roll out a sweeping new plan without buy-in from a major airline is unique but it doesn’t mean it’s not possible” to proceed, said Matt Fabian, partner at Municipal Market Analytics.
“In general, Chicago’s economy is growing and it would make sense for them to make a big investment in the terminals,” but American’s opposition “complicates the situation and it could raise the price” of borrowing whether the airport takes a rating hit or not, Fabian added.