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ORD AIRPORT & FLIGHT STATUS

Chicago O'Hare ORD Airport Overview

Chicago O’Hare International Airport ORD serves the State of Illinois and the Greater Chicago area. It is the Nation's second-largest Airport in terms of passenger count (the largest being Atlanta), operated by the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA).  ORD is celebrating its 50th Anniversary, and making continuous updates to its facilities to keep up with the increase of passengers.

The Airport is located 17 miles northwest of the Chicago Loop, in the northwestern-most corner of the city of Chicago, Illinois, and near the Tristate Tollway (I-294) and I-I90. Motorists enter & exit via I-190, branching off I-90 (Kennedy Expwy.) leading to downtown Chicago. 

With seven runways and 66 million passengers in 2012, Chicago O’Hare International Airport is an important hub for United and American Airlines, and is served by a multitude of domestic and foreign airlines offering direct and connecting flights to all points of the globe. 
AirBerlin airlines now offers nonstop flights to Berlin,Germany.

Frequent Flyers / Global Entry members Note:
  TSA (tel. 571-227-2829) introduced its new 'Pre-Check program' for American, Delta, United & U.S. Airways airline passengers, which is a pre-screening process. If accepted into this program, frequent flyers will be able to move quickly through security without removing shoes & light outerwear and won't have to remove laptops from computer bags.  The new Pre-Check lane is in Terminal 3, Security checkpoint 8, near door 3G.  It is expected that other airlines will join this program.  Members of the Global Entry program  are automatically eligible: O'Hare has 10 Global Entry kiosks in the International Terminal 5.
The on-Airport Hilton Hotel offers the use of showers at their health club for a small fee.

The passenger terminal complex at O'Hare International Airport consists of four passenger terminals - T1, T2, T3 & T5 - arranged in a semi-circle. (Please refer to 'Terminal Map' page.)

Parking options at Chicago O’Hare Airport include a cell phone lot, valet parking at the garage, hourly & daily parking in the garage, Lot D for Terminal 5, Economy lots G, E & F, and Kiss n Fly lot. (Please refer to 'Airport Parking' page.)

For rental cars go to the rental car counter on the baggage claim level. Each rental agency offers free shuttles located outside the terminal, at the curb.

To get from O'Hare Airport to your destination you have the option of renting a car, taking a taxi or limo, a bus or the subway:
1. Trains: (a) Subway trains from CTA ‘L’ Blue Line depart underground of Terminal 5, (b) the CTA Orange Line links directly into Chicago's Loop with connections to all other lines in the loop. (c) Metra North Central’s commuter trains stop at the O’Hare Transfer station, ocated next to Parking Lot F (at NE side of the Airport), which connects to the Airport Transit System by a shuttle bus.  (d) Other regional train and bus information may be obtained by going to the website for the Chicago Area Regional Transportation Authority.
2. Buses: The Bus/Shuttle Center is on the ground level (Level 1 near elevator center 3) of the elevated parking garage. This center is the central pick-up facility for regional and hotel courtesy buses, airport rental car agencies and parking shuttles. It is easily accessible by pedestrian tunnels from Terminals 1, 2, and 3. Some regional buses also pick up at Terminal 5. Pace bus picks up at the "Kiss and Fly" area.
3. NOTE: CDA & the O'Hare Express Blue Ribbon Committee point to their new website for the proposed O'Hare Airport Express Rail Service (ordexpressrail.com).

To get from O'Hare Airport to Midway Airport: 
1. The most economical (yet the slowest of the 3 option) is to take the (a) CTA Blue Line at the lowest level of the Main prking Garage, next to elevator center 4, and accessible via pedestrian tunnels in Terminals 1, 2 & 3, which takes two hours - you can transfer free downtown between blue & orange line, which takes you to Midway. Airport. For more information visit the CTA website.
2. Coach USA (tel. 1-800-236-2028 or 262-542-8861 or visit coachusa.com) has hourly service between O'Hare & Midway airports 6:30am-10:30pm. Piakcup is at Bus Shuttle Center (and at Midway on lower level). Allow for a minimum of one hour travel time.
3. Omega Shuttle (tel. 773-734-6688 or visit omegashuttle.com) between Oh'Hare & Midway runs 7am-11:45pm and takes at least one hour.

Future Airport Developments: Under the O'Hare Modernization Program, Terminal 5 is undergoing renovation and adding new amenities, like duty-free stores and restaurants, to be completed by Fall 2013, including new added runway capacity, and dealing with unacceptable levels of flights delays.  Upon completion of the two new runways, a runway extension and a new control tower by 2014, whereupn O'Hare Airport will have eight modern runways and will be able to reduce flight delays considerably.
Irving Park Road and Union Pacific Railroad relocations and a future consolidated rental car & parking facility are in the planning stages.
Negotiation for future improvements will continue in 2013.



Airport, Airline & Flying Topics



First Time Flyer Help

Chicago O'Hare ORD Airport Update History

  • Updated ORD Airports page - May 16, 2013
  • Updated ORD Main Terminals page - May 14, 2013
  • Updated ORD Airlines Served page - May 10, 2013
  • Updated ORD Food & Stores page - May 3, 2013
  • Updated ORD Airport Intro page - Apr 9, 2013
  • Updated ORD Direct Flights page - Mar 17, 2013
  • Updated ORD Terminal Map page - Mar 13, 2013
  • Updated ORD Official Website Links page - Nov 28, 2012