Chicago O'Hare Airport

✅ Trip Verified | Check-in area in terminal 5 is far too small. One airline had two flights leaving within an hour but was assigned a limited number of check-in counters. This caused the line to spill in to the hallway and blocking foot traffic. Once you clear check-in, the immigration and final security is done in a small area where there is not much of a system. Lines can crisscross and you really need to be patient as you go through the process. I had a red eye flight and I wanted to get a meal before boarding. Unfortunately most restaurants were closed by 9pm. As expected the one open restaurant was swamped with customers. The restaurant staff could hardly cope with orders taking a long time coming. There appears limited seating in both check-in and boarding areas. Wi-Fi was not working in all areas.

✅ Trip Verified | I feel like O'Hare gets a bad wrap overall for a few reasons, but some issues are legitimate, and the experience will vary greatly depending on which terminal you go through. For starters I usually fly United, and usually go through Terminal 1 or 2. I don't fly through Terminal 3, and my experience in the International Terminal has only been for one arrival recently. That said, I can break down Terminal's 1 and 2 which are good overall in my view. For starters the main issue with United is connecting flights can take a little while to get around. Terminal 1 is separated into two concourses connected by an underground walkway. In theory you could have a connecting flight on United Express which are mostly located in Terminal 2 despite your regular United flight may land at the C-Gates in Terminal 1. Therefore, you may have to walk from the end of the C-gate to the central area to reach the underground tunnel, go underground the tarmac, pop up at Terminal 1, then go to the end to reach the walkway to Terminal 2, then you'll cross into Terminal 2, and finally you are at your gate. It sounds like a long walk because it is. I recommend at least have 30 minutes to transfer flights. Then the other issues at O'Hare can be queue times for TSA, or some restaurants. I can say from personal experience the TSA at O'Hare have been relatively quick, as in no more than 20 minutes to get through during most times, however, during some peak times such as 4-6 pm, then lines can get long and take over 30 minutes. It has been random since sometimes during "peak times" things have been quick. I finally got TSA pre-check, so I'll see how that goes when I fly out tomorrow. Finally the last big issue is the poor wifi. It's Boingo which is too expensive, and at times it doesn't process your purchase correctly. Try to get into a United Club for wifi. I have gone through some personal negatives, and likely negatives for flyers in Terminals 1 and 2. The good news there are pluses. For one, the food choices are good. There are some local chains including Rick Bayless own chain which has solid Tex-Mex sandwiches, and amazing Guacamole. I believe Wow Bao is located in O'Hare, and there is a local tea chain as well. Meanwhile there is an abundance of restaurant choices such as steak, Italian, seafood, cafe food, etc. From my experience I haven't had a bad meal. Keep in mind, don't expect Michelin star restaurants, but if you have a good layover, then you can get a good meal. Finally the bar scene isn't bad, but prices are airport prices. At least Goose island has bars with local tapped beer. Finally the last positive is the location. The blue line connects to O'Hare, 24/7, to the Loop. It's near I-90 and I-294 which help drivers get around anywhere in the Chicagoland area. That said, if you are going to Northwest Indiana, or Joilet, then it'll take a good hour to get there from O'hare. That said, the taxi stand is outdated and slow. Expect to spend a good 30 minutes to get a taxi. Overall it is a good big airport. It's not perfect, nor the best in the world since I've been to LHR to Narita, however, as a large US airport it's one of the better ones in my view. Especially compared to EWR or elsewhere.

Not Verified | Experience was ok. Because of delay at Rapid City Regional, I was late but the man at the desk quickly informed me I would have no trouble catching my flight to Madrid if I made my way quickly to the departing gate. Distance to the gate was very far with no moving walkways. Turns out I had plenty of time. Flight was delayed for over an hour.

✅ Trip Verified | We are sitting in front of McDonals in terminal L. There is garbage over flowing everywhere, all of the tables are disgusting and dirty. I see no one cleaning in the vicinity. Why treat customers this way? Have the food places clean the charging tables and other tables throughout the terminals as people are using the tables to eat their food. Have a cleaning person dedicated to specific areas so that it stays clean.

✅ Trip Verified | My flight was cancelled due to weather, which I understand is not anyone's fault. So considering how understanding I was, especially in comparison to other very unhappy people. So you can imagine how upset I became when I was berated for moving a cot 3 ft into darker lighting. I was not aware this was a rule. I apologized and moved it back. Even after that I was harassed by the same staff member for not moving it back "right". Look, I was understanding about being stuck on a cot here after purchasing a 400 dollar ticket so why cant the staff be understanding and accommodating to me as well. It all just makes me never want to fly again.

Not Verified | Understaffed and rude. I mised my connecting flight due to delay with previous flight as American Airlines had overbooked their flight. They try to provide Express support to people with short connecting flights but they failed miserably due to lack of coordination. The staff at the boarding counter were rude and laughing at the time they were telling me that I missed my flight. Then they started speaking to each other in Spanish in front of me. Very rude staff.

Not Verified | Terminal 5 is simply not fit for purpose, security screening area is far too small for the volume of passengers. It took one hour 15 minutes to get through a tortuous winding and sweaty queue - one of my worst ever airport experiences. Once through the size and selection of the duty free shopping area is tiny - and the options on where to eat very limited and expensive. Chicago you can do way better than this.

✅ Trip Verified | You can tell by looking at my boarding pass that I’m TSA approved. But I was patted down because I was wearing a skirt (that’s what the TSA officer said.) I’m a 60 year old lady, who just had knee surgery and I was quite embarrassed by the this. The officer was extremely kind but I do not understand why my boarding pass on my phone was not adequate for this situation. There should be at least signs indicating that boarding passes on phones are not adequate for using your TSA approval.

Not Verified | Horrible, lazy, and unhelpful staff. So many open spaces where they could cut down the lines but they just lean against the wall, laugh and chat up with other security, and I even saw some sleeping on the job. After I asked 1 of the staff there for help on my gate number, they told me to google it and went back to leaning on the wall. I asked another one and they misdirected me to 2 different terminals before I finally found it on my own. They also were disrespectful and made jokes about us like " can you even see " and laughed about it with a co worker. I highly advise anyone that plans on a trip to steer clear of this airport.

Not Verified | Arrived from Phoenix on our way to Copenhagen. Signage is basically non-existent or useless in this airport, and it took forever just to find someone to ask where to go to catch our connection. Apparently information desks are only staffed when they feel like it. Probably the worst thing was the employees - rude, unfriendly, and unhelpful. My daughter kept saying, "can you imagine being from another country and trying to navigate this place?!" Oh, and don't come hungry if you need to travel overseas - everything in that terminal closes really early. I planned our trip so far in advance, and we were not supposed to transfer in Chicago, but unfortunately the airline changed our flight and we had to experience the hell that is O'Hare. Try very hard to avoid this airport!