Chicago O'Hare Airport

Passed through Chicago on United flying from Rochester to Jackson Hole and back. Outward bound I was arriving and departing through Terminal 1 C Concourse. Good selection of eateries and bars. Free Wi Fi and pay for internet access if you didn't bring your laptop. Plenty of room even though this was late morning on a Friday. Returning I arrived at and departed from Terminal 1 B Concourse. I only has a short time to look around as I was making my connection. B Concourse seems much more crowded and cramped than C. Security was very very busy. I was lucky I didn't have to pass security. I can see how if one is arriving here from overseas and has to change terminals this Airport could be an absolute nightmare.

The queue for immigration was mercifully quite short and there were a number of officers on duty. Just as well because the temperature was very high and although we only had to quue for about twenty minutes it felt like bread waiting to be baked in a furnace. The luggage was on the belt as we came out of immigration. We were sharing a belt with passengers from another flight and different airline so quite a bit of confusion. The car rental sites are away from the airport so we had to wait for a courtesy bus to take us over to them. Consequently it was about an hour and a half after landing before we were on the road.

T5 has very limited facilities long narrow design means possible long walks from check in to gate. Few places to sit while waiting for check in to open if travelling internationally and the food court is very undersized and poorly located just before the TSA security check so you may have to fight your way through the long confused security queue to get in to the food court. While I was there the queue for security never diminished it ran almost to the front door with three slow moving lines. It was amusing to hear demands to have passports out - might even expire while in your hand waiting to clear security. When you get through well there are toilets but not much else the type of amenities you might find at the very end of a pier at other airports. Eat before you come in here. Signs to the city rail link the MTA are poor also from T5 yes you do go through the multi story car park en route. T3 was much better once again long walks possible here allow plenty time for any transit connection and do not rely on minimum connection times.

O'Hare has been around a long time but upgrades have kept it at the top. On my outbound flight check-in was quick and easy the lines at the security scanners were short the gate areas were large and clean with comfortable seats. The only negative is that there aren't a lot of shops or places to eat once your through the security scanners. For some reason ORD delayed our take off for 30 minutes. Coming back my flight was on time customs was a breeze but it took a long time to get my baggage.

Top Marks for Large European Family with 4 Kids. Airport was clean with hand sanitizers scattered everywhere toilets exceptionally clean. United have fantastic baggage service for passengers who have to clear customs and need to put checked luggage onto final destination. 5m from customs clearance United just grab your bag scan it and put it onto the belt. Hands down best system I've seen in a long time. Children's museum in terminal 2 is must. Its more like a play area and my four children spent 2 hours there without any sense of boredom. Could have been there much longer without worry. Traveller's Aid Centre supplied free diapers when nearby vending machine had ran out. MacDonalds in Terminal 1 had no seating area. Had to use seats at nearby gate and felt guilty about the mess my family left (ii) Immigration queues in T5 resulted in 45 minute wait. T5 duty free very poor selection compared to T1.

Arrived late from Zurich on LX resulting in a 1:45 connection which proved to be very tight. Immigration line moved quickly but baggage took nearly twenty minutes to appear on the carousel; customs typical perfunctory effort; tram to Terminal B too infrequent for the number of passengers. The big issue was the glacial TSA screening line at Terminal B - only two scanners for well over 200 people in line. We made our domestic connection with 10 minutes to spare but like previous reviewers our bags did not arrive home until the next afternoon due to inadequate TSA checked baggage screening capacity. United representative in Birmingham told me it happens all the time that bags do not clear screening in time to make the flight. I can see why Chicago did not get the 2016 Summer Olympics : O'Hare is simply overwhelmed with volume.

Used this airport about two weeks ago transferring from Terminal 1 to Terminal 5. Overall a very pleasant experience the airport seemed very clean and bright. The transfer between terminals was quick and easy even in mid-day. Following advice from previous postings here I ate in Terminal 5 outside security. To my surprise the Security lines at Terminal 5 were non- existent! I wish there was a way to transfer between terminals without having to go back through security but due to the short lines as mentioned this is only a minor issue. Clear layout and signage excellent facility overall. Would recommend and will use again.

Toilets were clean. Quite easy to find your boarding gate. Waiting time for immigration clearance should be improved a little. The confusing part lies in tht the international terminal which you arrive in may not be the same terminal as where your check-in counter for your return flight is. Overall a pleasant place to be in.

I have used Chicago O'Hare numerous times for International and Domestic flights. I wanted to give this airport 4 or even 5 stars for the experience I have had of Terminals 1-3 however T5 drags it right back down. Departures: There are almost no facilities beyond security bar a few carts selling candy and cigarettes. There is no bar except for a temporary stand selling bottled beer - not exactly the way to unwind before a long flight. Before security things are a little better - you can at least get something to eat albeit at McDonalds. Arrivals: There's a long wait for bags however my destination has always been from Ireland where immigration is done before take-off so this mitigates that somewhat as we don't have to queue. There is a bar in arrivals (one might have considered putting the bar in departures?) and a shop but little else and the area is cramped with few seats. The rest of O'Hare is a pleasure but it's as if International flights are an afterthought. I understand that Chicago is a domestic hub but as an international traveller it's actually a bit of an insult.

Used T5 at O'Hare twice last week coming from and leaving to LHR. The terminal is perfect to perform a terminal's main goal - getting people quickly and efficiently off and on an airplane onto or off a cab/bus/. It took less than 10 minutes to leave the plane pick up my luggage pass immigration (being a non-US citizen) and into a cab. When leaving check-in desks are plenty and gates are only (on average) a 2 minutes walk from security gates (which are next to the check-in desks). Be aware that T5 has no eateries and only very basic duty free. Almost nothing in fact. But as said before T5 is meant to be an arrivals/departure building which works very well and not a shopping mall.