The small towers you see attached to the terminals are to manage the ramp area AFAIK.

^ yeah, i think ORD has just the 3 main towers for actual ATC work - the north tower, the main tower, and the south tower.

someone correct me if i'm wrong, but i don't think the old ATC tower in front of the hilton is used for anything anymore.

British Airways is bringing the Airbus A380 to O'Hare daily starting June 1, 2022.

Emirates could very well bring the A380 to O'Hare as well depending on demand and now that there will be 2 A380 gates, both British Airways and Emirates could theoretically operate daily A380 service to ORD. Emirates has expressed interest in the past to bring the A380 to ORD and did for a one-off back in 2016.

I don't know what you are talking about here. Emirates operates a daily flight to ORD from DXB and ORD was the first US airport to reach it's pre-pandemic schedule from Emirates. The only US airports with more service from Emirates are LAX (also daily but sees the A380 vs the 777), and JFK which has 2x daily A380 service (plus the freedom routes). I think ORD-DXB is also Emirates 3rd most occupied US route behind only LAX-DXB and JFK-DXB

Just to clarify, there isn't any planned work on the existing portion of Terminal 5, correct? I am assuming all of the interior renderings presented in your post are from the new addition wrapping up, but this rendering shows more glass on the existing portion than what is there now.

Bnk is talking about the A380. He would have to go to LAX or JFK in the USA pre pandemic to see many A380's. The biggest problem with the A380 always was it's hard to fill, and they have no cargo version. Dead in the water, and many Europeans thought that even before they built it.

They did alot of work on the old section of T5. Look at the photo you posted.

I guess it's the rendering then. I didn't pay much attention the last time I was in T5, but I don't remember that massive glass exposure to the Southwest in the main wing of T5. Also, the structure of the building there doesn't match what's currently in existence. Hence my confusion.....

https://www.flickr.com/gp/155580150@N05/71pjx8
This is why I was asking if there's work being done on the main existing wing of T5 - That glass box portion sticking out doesn't currently exist, or is Google out of date here?......

The new section is still under construction and is not shown in the google photo. Yes it will look like the rendering, and most of the structure is up.

You know what, I didn't even realize they were doing any work on the interior of the existing structure.

Per https://urbanize.city/chicago/post/o...ruction-photos

"The wedge-shaped addition will span 350,000 square feet and provide 10 new gates to increase the terminal's gate capacity by 25 percent. A further 750,000 square feet within the existing structure is also being remodeled to accommodate expanded security checkpoints, reconfigured immigration and customs, improved baggage handling systems, and space for airline lounges, concessions, and other passenger amenities."

That's pretty awesome actually. All this time I had just assumed the only work was the addition.

These interior shots are of the expansion (hence the higher gate numbers that don't exist yet):

https://304ljw4amcep3ali496xph6b-wpe...-1536x1027.jpg

https://304ljw4amcep3ali496xph6b-wpe...-1536x1027.jpg

This interior shot is of that new addition to the existing portion of the terminal (hence the roof design):

https://304ljw4amcep3ali496xph6b-wpe...-1536x1027.jpg

Thanks for clarifying! That will do wonders for the existing portion of Terminal 5. I just got more excited to see how the final product looks!

B1M posted a video about the reno of O'Hare.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Pnea6PrMmI

https://www.theb1m.com/video/chicago...d-construction

Inside Chicago's $8.5BN Airport Rebuild

"CHICAGO O'HARE was once the world’s busiest airport. It held that title for three decades and became one of the great American infrastructure projects of the early Jet Age.

But in recent years it’s hit a bit of turbulence. Though it still attracts more than 80 million passengers in a normal year, most of those people probably don’t have this down as their favourite place to fly from.

Delays, congestion and a lack of amenities are common complaints and since the late 1990s the place has begun to feel more than a bit … tired.

But that’s all about to change as O’Hare embarks on a multi-billion-dollar transformation, a megaproject that’ll give this aviation landmark a much-needed lift."


By Adam Savage (lol)
02 February 2022

I like these types of videos!

I also made a similar type of video on the expansion project just over a year ago:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sW7O8zDGC7U

Nice to see coverage on this.

Christmas in February! The B1M did an episode on ORD21!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Pnea6PrMmI

B1M makes quality videos. Definitely enjoyed this one.

Edit: Uf, didn't see @MAC123 beat me to it with the B1M link. Oh well the more the merrier.

No new information in it but nice to see the Chicago expansion is getting some attention. That's the idea - let people know that Chicago is a modern city. Hopefully this will continue to brand Chicago well and attract more interest for the next decade as all the phases are rolled out.

ORD back up for Air New Zealand still in late September 2022 fingers crossed.

https://www.newstalkzb.co.nz/lifesty...-hawaii-seoul/

I was on this flight in Jan 2020 on my way back from Antarctica and it was pretty busy (and not just with USAP people, though I feel bad for the random guy in the center seat between me and another USAP participant...). Anyway it's crucial for maintaining 6-continent status until we get the Brisbane flight (if that's happening...).

Thats a long flight. I was wondering how long it would be.

This link says just over 16 hours. Which according to what is said below would be the longest NZ non stop fight to the USA.


https://www.moatrek.com/blog/how-lon...ew-zealand-usa

Alot of news for ORD this week. Eastern will contract it's 777F to run Asia routes for Flexport. Also Swoop will start Canadian service in late May to ORD. This adds to the new service to Canada by Flair airlines.

Also ORD came in second for 2021 aircraft movements after ATL. ORD did lead after May 2021 but had lower movements Jan-Apr and could not make up the numbers.


https://worldairlinenews.com/2022/02...-for-flexport/

https://worldairlinenews.com/2022/02...and-nashville/

Saudia to launch service to Chicago from either Riyadh or Jeddah (not specified) sometime in 2022. An interesting addition.

This is interesting. . . I was just talking with a friend of mine last night who is looking at getting a 3 month visa to SA so he can do his Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca and visit with friends/family that live there. . . I wonder if SA has been opening up more to outside tourism as I would find it a tough sell that they have that many pilgrimage or business passengers (thinking Houston would be the more logical destination) to support such a route. . .

. . .

I know that is the definite goal of the Saudi government. I can't imagine to many Americans rushing to KSA. There are enough Muslims around Chicago probably that would utilize it for pilgrimage trips or use it as an alternative to the other Gulf airlines for MENA/Africa/South Asia.

This could be part of the planned growth by the government to grow Saudia into another Emirates style airline. They already have run cargo flights to ORD and ran a passenger flight schedule back in 2020 for several months.

Air India is running the Hyderabad (HYD) flights again with 777-200 equipment to ORD.

New airline Avelo is launching service to MDW from New Haven

“Avelo's in expansion mode again, with Baltimore, Chicago Midway, and Raleigh Durham all to launch at the end of May. When writing ahead of the official announcement, the exact timings aren't known. However, one-way base fares (including only a small personal item) are available to Baltimore from $49, Raleigh Durham from $59, and Chicago from $69. The details:

Baltimore: starts May 26th, 5x weekly (Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays)

Chicago Midway: begins May 26th, 5x weekly (Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays)

Raleigh Durham: starts May 26th, 5x weekly (Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays)”

https://simpleflying.com/avelo-expan...tes-new-haven/

^ MDW has been on a mini-run of picking up new airlines, first allegiant, then frontier coming back, now this (new to me) carrier Avelo out of new haven.


the little airport that could.

New caribbean airline plans service to Chicago (O'hare) later this year:

https://worldairlinenews.com/2022/03...the-caribbean/

Is Qantas Planning A Brisbane-Chicago Re-Launch?

“Despite no word from Qantas, the CEO of Brisbane Airport recently hinted the delayed Brisbane - Chicago flights may finally start later this year.“

https://simpleflying.com/qantas-plan...ago-re-launch/

Aer Lingus Adds Back Service to Three More US Cities

“ The airline is also increasing frequencies on existing routes from Dublin to both Chicago O’Hare and Washington Dulles.

Aer Lingus will also start a second daily flight between DUB and Washington Dulles (IAD) from June 9, marking the first time Aer Lingus has operated 2X-daily service to IAD. Chicago O’Hare (ORD) will see a second frequency, to be operated 5X-weekly, to complement current daily service on the route from DUB.”

https://www.routesonline.com/news/29...ore-us-cities/

Busiest Airports In The World By Passenger Traffic 2021
 

The rankings for busiest airports in the world for 2021 just came out. Chicago O'Hare came in 4th for passenger traffic. Also, US airports dominated the rankings this year.

Busiest Airports In The World 2021 (By Passenger Traffic):
1.) Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (USA) - 75,537,213 passengers
2.) Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (USA) - 62,465,756 passengers
3.) Denver International Airport (USA) - 58,828,552 passengers
4.) Chicago O'Hare International Airport (USA) - 54,020,399 passengers
5.) Los Angeles International Airport (USA) - 48,007,284 passengers
6.) Charlotte Douglas International Airport (USA) - 43,302,230 passengers
7.) Orlando International Airport (USA) - 40,351,068 passengers
8.) Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (China) - 40,249,679 passengers
9.) Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (China) - 40,117,496 passengers
10.) Harry Reid International Airport (USA) - 39,710,493 passengers
11.) Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (USA) - 38,846,713 passengers
12.) Miami International Airport (USA) - 37,302,456 passengers
13.) Istanbul Airport (Turkey) - 36,988,563 passengers
14.) Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport (China) - 36,358,185 passengers
15.) Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (USA) - 36,154,015 passengers
16.) Mexico City International Airport (Mexico) - 36,056,614 passengers
17.) Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport (China) - 35,766,284 passengers
18.) George Bush Intercontinental Airport (USA) - 33,677,118 passengers
19.) Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (China) - 33,207,337 passengers
20.) Beijing Capital International Airport (China) - 32,639,013 passengers

For comparison, here was the list from 2020:
Source - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...senger_traffic

For reference, ATL was #1 in 2019 with 110,531,300 and O'hare was #6 at 84,372,618.

#50 in 2019 was Narita with 44,340,847, which would have been good enough for #6 this year. Still a very different environment that we're in.

We got a lot of climbing to do to get back to #1, lol. Honestly, may not be achievable anymore, and we really haven't been competitive with Atlanta in terms of passenger numbers for many years. Hopefully as the Modernization Plan reaches completion, we can at least get back to a solid #2 spot.

Well O'Hare has to split flights with Midway. Atlanta has one single big airport.

^ even with MDW's numbers, Chicago still trails the mighty ATL.

Why is Atlanta's Airport bigger than LA's? I know the NYC metro has like 4 airports to spread them out but I don't know about LA

Because Delta uses Atlanta as its only real mega-midcontinental hub. Detroit/Minneapolis play ancillary roles but nothing compared to the division that true mega-hubs in Dallas/Chicago divide work for American Airlines or that Denver/Chicago do for United.

Mega-airports like LAX, NYC, SFO, Miami, etc. will always be huge, especially for connecting international traffic but they will never be used primarily as spoke hubs to connect the nation's interior the same way mid-continent hubs are.

A lot of it is cargo and international freight. Airports have limited capacity, and O’Hare is extremely desirable for passenger, cargo and international freight.

While in the Southeast, Atlanta handles most of the regional passenger flights, and Miami handles most of the cargo and freight.

https://aci.aero/wp-content/uploads/...e-decran-5.png
https://aci.aero/2020/05/19/aci-reve...aft-movements/

O'Hare Airport ‘People Mover' Passenger Trains Return to 24-Hour Service
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/loca...rvice/2809227/

Shuttle buses will still provide 24-hour service through May 1... Does anyone know if that includes rental car shuttles for Hertz, Enterprise? The traffic chaos could be reduced even if just slightly, if the number of buses/shuttles around the terminals were reduced. And they should be with the ATS now providing direct access to the consolidated rental car intermodal facility.

Atlanta is really well located as a cross point between Midwest/Chicago and FL and NYC to points South and West. It can funnel lots of people in different directions. Other airports that could compete are Nashville and Charlotte but their airports are not designed nearly as efficiently as Hartsfield currently is. Also a lot of this is baked in from the early days of commercial flying when airlines did many hops to a destination.

LA is more a destination airport more than a transfer airport. It gets huge numbers for what is does.

I have never figured out why the media is so focused on passenger traffic alone and never use the movement number more. Perfect example, if they shut down ATL for a week mainly regional east and southeast flights would be affected. If they shut down one of the big cargo hubs ANC, MEM or SDF you would know all over the country it happened. Cargo traffic is just important as passenger traffic, especially in 2020 and 2021.

Terminal 5 Expansion Progress
 

From the ORD Twitter Page:

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FQ5Bn1rV...pg&name=medium

Looks like good progress on the Terminal 5 Expansion from above! Can't really tell how far the facade is coming along though. Hopefully the expansion is on track to complete in the summer!

You can see some new jet bridges being added at the bottom of the image!

Inside Chicago O'Hare Airport's $8.5 billion revamp
 

https://dynaimage.cdn.cnn.com/cnn/q_...t-makeover.jpg

Inside Chicago O'Hare Airport's $8.5 billion revamp

Read more - https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/c...ver/index.html

Great picture! It almost looks as though new bridges are already in use from the expansion, but I'm assuming that's just planes parking there that need a space to park. Also looks like the amenity expansion in the existing portion is coming along nicely.

Frontier Airlines Kicks Off Its Chicago Midway Flights

“On Thursday, Frontier launched a swag of new routes from Chicago's Midway Airport, locking down that airport's new role as Frontier's key Chicago airport. From zero to hero, Frontier will now fly from Midway (MDW) to Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas, Ontario, Phoenix, Tampa, and Trenton. Later in the year, Frontier will begin flights from Midway to Philadelphia, Orlando, and Fort Lauderdale.”

https://simpleflying.com/frontier-ai...idway-flights/

Chicago might have a problem if the majors don't pick up flying next year. They have limited their flying at ORD shifting to cities like Denver, Charlotte, Atlanta and Dallas still this year so don't look for good numbers in 2022. We still have alot of movements due to the heavy cargo flight counts but I am surprised at the lack of passenger flights compared to 2019.

Does anyone know the plan for the old Lot E? It's a huge parking lot with an existing ATS people mover station. I don't know why they would just let it sit there abandoned.

No idea but that's a prime spot for a nice shiny new hotel development. Direct access to the ATS would be a huge benefit and they really wouldn't have to lose any parking spots, they could actually add more covered spots as part of a development in conjunction with a new hotel partner and charge more. The Hilton that's connected to the terminals is really getting long in the tooth and could use some competition. It's dark, noisy, dated, and the food offerings are terrible.

I think the bulk of the area is inside the new larger RPZs. IIRC they were originally required to demo the old ATS station once 27C was lengthened but since nothing seems to be happening on that front maybe they are waiting on an FAA decision.