hey everyone so i literally just landed at chicago ohare and im sitting here at my gate waiting for my next flight and its like i have to share some thoughts because this place is honestly a whole beast especially if its your first time here and you basically have no idea whats going on so im gonna give you a quick rundown a first-timers guide from someone who just experienced it all fresh its really a lot but its manageable if you kinda know the ropes a little bit.
Getting your bearings
ok so first thing when you land its massive like seriously its huge and you got multiple terminals theres terminal 1 2 3 and then terminal 5 which is basically for all the international flights and honestly its easy to get confused especially if youre jet-lagged and trying to figure out where the cta train is or how to get to your next flight and its all a bit much but just remember terminals are generally connected by walkways or the airport transit system ats which is like a little train that goes around and you can use it to hop between terminals if your walk is too long but sometimes walking is actually faster depending on where youre going you know what i mean and its kind of a hub and spoke deal where main terminal buildings connect to these long concourses and you gotta walk down them for ages sometimes and your gate could be literally at the very end.
- long walks: terminal 1 concourses b and c are super long and loop around its literally endless so just pace yourself and terminal 3 concourses h and k are similar so use those moving walkways whenever you can because they help a little bit.
- inter-terminal connectors: terminal 1 to terminal 2/3 is a long indoors walk with moving walkways and for these short jumps its often faster to just walk the connector instead of waiting for the ats especially if your gates are not super far down.
- hidden shortcut: there’s this cool underground walkway connecting terminal 1 concourse b to terminal 2 and it has a neat neon light art installation and its usually less crowded than the main upstairs paths but keep an eye out for signs its a bit tucked away.
- terminal 5: this one is kind of isolated so you will definitly need the ats to get here from other terminals or vice versa and you cant really walk between them so just factor in that ats travel time its like a little train.
The peak hour survival guide
honestly peak hours here are basically a warzone its like everyone decided to travel at the exact same moment and everything just backs up and its super annoying so you really gotta plan ahead if you land or depart during these times and its usually morning like 7am to 10am and then late afternoon early evening like 4pm to 7pm when everyone is flying in or out and trying to catch their connections and the security lines are like literal snake pits they just go on forever and you feel like youre never going to get through it so if you dont have clear or tsa precheck you better add like an extra hour to your arrival time honestly and maybe even more sometimes its that bad but its often unpredictible.
and then you got the food situation where every single place has a line and you stand there for ages just to get a coffee or a sandwich and its kinda sad because you just want to eat and relax but you cant and its basically a rush so grab something quick or before you get to your gate if you can see a shorter line and its recomended you check google maps for food options and estimated wait times that can sometimes help a little.
getting your uber or lyft its another adventure during peak times because the pickup zones are just packed and its hard to find your driver and its cold outside sometimes so you dont want to be standing there forever so just be patient and make sure you confirm your cars license plate and model before you hop in because its easy to get into the wrong car here and then your basically stranded again or you have to pay extra.
so yeah thats my basic rundown its a lot to take in and its a busy place but its a major hub and its just how it is so prepare for walks and lines but honestly its all part of the journey right and hopefully this helps someone whos flying into ord for the first time or is just passing through its a big place but you can navigate it with a little bit of info so safe travels everyone.