ORD (Chicago O'Hare) Airport Guide: Insider Tips

ORD at a glance

• IATA: ORD · ICAO: KORD
• Hub for: United (massive), American (massive).
• Terminals: 1 (United), 2 (United/Air Canada), 3 (American), 5 (international + transferring renovations underway).

Getting there

• CTA Blue Line to downtown — about 45 minutes for $5.
• Taxi/rideshare about 35–60 minutes depending on traffic.
• Metra at O'Hare Transfer for some northwest suburbs.

Connecting

• Terminals 1, 2, 3 are connected airside.
• Terminal 5 is not airside connected — you must clear security again.
• The ATS (Airport Transit System) was undergoing extensive renovation; check current status.

Weather warning

ORD is the most weather-exposed major US hub:

• Winter: snow, deicing delays.
• Summer: thunderstorm complexes.
• Year round: strong crosswinds occasionally limit runway use.

Pin your ORD flight in a tracker like FlightyFlow for predictive delay alerts during weather days.

Lounges

• Centurion Lounge T3 — beautifully designed.
• United Polaris Lounge T1 — best premium lounge at ORD.
• United Club locations across T1 and T2.
• AA Flagship Lounge T3 — for premium AA international.
• Air France Lounge T5.

Tips

• TSA PreCheck and CLEAR are widely available.
• Terminal 5 international has improved dramatically since 2022 renovations.
• For long layovers, the Hilton O'Hare is connected by tunnel to T1/T2.

Famous spotter location

Wood Dale Grove Forest Preserve off the 22 approach is one of the better US plane spotting locations.