An airside connection to T5 would be nice but it's not necessary since most people will be traveling on the same alliance. Anybody who is not will more than likely know to leave extra connection time to re-clear at another terminal.

This use case is applicable to like 0.01% of passenger throughput and almost no airport of O'Hares size makes this easy nor should they prioritize that. If there was demand for it the city could easily run airside shuttle busses connecting T3 to T5. There is no such demand. I also doubt the airline alliances are keen on making this easier.

That’s a bummer. This is supposed to be a decade long project, so whenever we come to the time when planning for new satellites is necessary, that’s gonna be 20/30 years? Hard to think you will compete with Atlanta without the people mover connecting the satellites with the global terminal.

Arrived at T5 the other day from St. Maarten, gated at M33 (very far end), and while the walk was indeed long it wasn't really out of the ordinary. The tunnel I thought was pretty modern/nice looking, just needs a little flair of color/decor here and there. It'll age better than the new T1/T2/T3 tunnels connecting to the Blue Line. There were multiple staff politely guiding people where to go. Lines were all short. Lightfoot announcements continue to be cringe.

^ Are you referring to the tunnel/hallway that connects the new T5 extension with the old T5 building? I wouldn’t really call that a tunnel though.

No, the sterile corridor you take when arriving from an international destination to get to the customs area.

I actually flew out of M33 the other day, first time going to T5 in almost two decades. With virtually no memory of what T5 was like before, I was very disappointed. That is what O'Hare got out of its 'newest' terminal? Narrow walking space upon entering at arrivals. No clear signage on where to find security. Security itself is dark and feels cramped, with basically no space to gather your belongings after which is needed in post-9/11 TSA travel. Cramped and LOUD carpeted concourse, except at the annex.

The annex is a vast improvement over the rest of T5, even if it feels like a rushed C- grade design of an architect trying to poorly copy every other large-ceiling 21st century airport design. The physical space and natural light make everything feel relaxed and bright, a stark contrast to the rest of T5. But the annex just feels weird in comparison to the rest of T5 because there is no flow between them. It's obviously better to have more modern space than not, but overall this may be a theme of new O'Hare circa-2035; great to be upsized to meet 21st century travel demands in gates and new expected amenities, however all of O'Hare will have a hodgepodge Frankenstein feel of misfit connected parts.

Nothing in T5 is complete except for the Delta gates and lounge. Even the annex portion is missing all of the concessions and many finishing touches.

Agree that O'Hare is definitely a hodgepodge Frankenstein though, and I don't see that getting much better until the whole revamp is complete in ~10 years. Completing the project without reducing capacity/impacting operations just necessitates everything be done piecemeal.

That and we need to remember that T5 is not going to be the main hub of international activity - The Global Terminal will be. The remainder of T5 can always be upgraded down the road after everything else is complete. I would rather see more effort into getting the new Global terminal and sats right than spending too much time on T5.

My only gripe continues to be the security checkpoints, but I still suspect that is still being worked on (as with concessions, etc).

Arrived from Dubai on Monday afternoon and customs was a shit show......

Although it didn't feel like so much a problem of lack of stations to get through as it was an issue of lack of agents. More frustrating is it seemed like many of the agents had no incentive to get folks through, were joking around, etc. Not sure if this is a problem in other airports....

I would assume this is something that won't get too much TLC in the short-term since the global terminal will occupy more international arrivals in the future.

Also agree with some previous posts about getting to CTA from T5. There doesn't seem to be good signage signaling people on where exactly to go. Would love to see O'Hare invest a few pennies to direct people.

Arrived yesterday at T3 and noticed two things that were infuriating. . . homeless people are allowed to lounge around inside the terminal baggage pickup areas. . . no one seemed to notice them except me. . . also the curb side Nazis are fucking useless and should be moved inside to deal with the homeless. . . why they're out there telling people to move along while loading and picking up is utterly ridiculous. . . [/rant]

. . .

I totally agree. I have no idea how common theft is near the baggage claim (I am guessing not at all infrequent), but it has always worried me how open access the baggage claim area is and getting to the claim before Mr. Rando does. I hope that the redvelopment of the terminals includes closing access only to passengers in the future like a proper airport should.

Of course moving violations get authorities revenue while lost or stolen luggage is of minimal consequences to them.

That's ridiculous! They are not supposed to be there. They have to leave! They are not allowed to visit the lounge. Ticketed Passengers Only. I'm aware of that. I'm sure TSA, ORD Police are very aware of that.

The place has turned into Lori O'Homeless Airport since 2021.

You step off the plane and are greeted by large banners of a grinning Lori Lightfoot. You hear overhead announcements by Lightfoot talking about how Chicago is the greatest city in the world. As you make your way to the CTA station you pass a number of panhandlers and homeless sleeping in the tunnels connecting the station to the terminals, making sure to dodge the buckets scattered around collecting water from the leaking roof. Then you enjoy the sights and smells of the Blue Line as you slowly crawl to the Loop in a 40 year old L car that looks every bit it's age.

It's one hell of a first impression.

Ok, maybe that's a slight exaggeration but as someone who has taken over 30 flights out of O'Hare this year it ain't too far off. It's just very frustrating as someone who loves the place and wants it to be better but nobody seems to give a shit.

^No that about sums it up. . .

. . .

Wow, that's terrible. I've flown in and out of O'hare about a half dozen times this year and haven't seen any homeless. I almost never check bags, but I do pass the baggage claim areas since I am using the blue line to get to/from the airport.

Hopefully this issue is corrected, and ASAP. The airport is going to be someone's first impression of Chicago. Homelessness is not the image we want to project.

General curiosity for those who frequent O'Hare, what are your thoughts now that the ATS is fully running this many months later?

• Is the service noticeably faster than the previous iteration?
• Is headway between trains reliable/comparable to other airports?
• Thoughts on the consolidated rental car facility? It seems more convenient to get to using the ATS rather than jumping on a shuttle. I recently used Tampa's ATS and it seemed relatively fast, but the rental car facility was also closer to the main terminal compared to ORD's layout.
• Is traffic along the terminals lessened with fewer rental car shuttles?

I haven't taken the ATS to the car rental center, but it doesn't look terribly far from the terminals when looking at a map. At Miami airport, depending on your arrival terminal, you may have to take two trains to eventually reach their car rental center, the SkyTrain (or the MIA E train if you are in Concourse E) from your gate/terminal to the main terminal, and then the MIA mover to the car rental center. Its a few minutes walk between the stations as well.

It's the same as it always was. Not any faster and the frequency is the same, trains look the same. Trying to remember when we got out at the rental car facility as we parked our cars there. I think entering the building it dumps you right into the building and leaving you have to go up and over it with an escalator.

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