Cool. A terminal expansion is exactly what's needed to increase competition and lower prices. Roping a big-name architect would be great, too... I love Helmut Jahn and Perkins+Will, but together they've designed all 5 terminals and many other pieces of the airport.

If it's a big announcement, it's got to be something Rahm worked on in secret, so it's probably not a transit investment like Airport Express (which would require years of planning, RTA/suburban involvement, etc).

T5 is on overload in the afternoon and evening. They have to do something about it as you well know.

Yes, they getting more extremely overcrowded. There is no room. They need expanding the entire terminal 5 or a new terminal 6.

Well "oh shit" sounds like bad news, you're certain the indication was of good news?

The only thing widely known to be cooking right now is the consolidated rental facility and ATS extension, so an actual, final, freakin' construction start date would be very good news to hear. But it sounds you're saying next week's news will be bigger. So, probably something major with the existing terminals -- T5 expansion, rebuild T2, a T4 to replace the heating plant, or something.

Or, there's one announcement we've been waiting a long time for that's a huge bang for a small buck type of project -- A380 entry to ORD, including double-jetbridges and widened taxiway clearances.

Western terminals are probably still just a haze off somewhere in the distant future, I'd guess.

It could me many things:

1) T5 expansion as described above
2) Full federal funding of the remainder of the OHare expansion
3) Announcement of a deal to build an express train between OHare and downtown ;)

Okay, #3 is a stretch but I had to put it out there

My guess is hourly flight restrictions to appease the 10 households who are chain calling in noise complaints over the new runways.

^ I also saw that news that most complaints are coming from just a few households. The solution there would be to buy out their houses, or fund soundproofing for them.

Or tell them to suck it up or leave. They live next to an airport. No appeasement!

Getting excited for tomorrows announcement. :D

Lets keep fingered crossed.

They will have a big announcement by tomorrow morning. Let find out soon enough.

What announcement?

Edit: Sorry, I didn't read the whole previous string. I guess I will have to wait and see what is announced.

Haven't seen anything.

Kngkyle was the source on this and he never said anything about it being announced in the morning. He only said it would be announced today. I'm not sure where the idea that the announcement would come by morning came from.

Got it, I wonder if this will postpone an announcement if there was really going to be one.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...0,368030.story

Not confirmed yet and I'm also not sure on the scale of the operation they intend to operate, but it's looking like Frontier will be opening a hub at ORD.

It might not happen overnight due to gate space, but in a few years we could see Chicago having 4 decent hub operations: American, United, Frontier and Southwest.

AA and UA wont be happy... but at the same time Frontier is now an ULCC like Spirit, so perhaps this will impact Southwest more. In any event, I think it's a smart decision for Frontier - there is room for a ULCC at ORD. (Frontier also just announced a new base at Washington Dulles)

More service is always good, but where are they going to park the planes? New terminals would have been nice.

Not the news I was expecting but big nonetheless.

If there was another carrier deciding to focus/hub I would have picked Virgin America. They seem alegeric to flyover country though. I have also never flown Frontier though.

Frontier choosing OHare as a hub is the "big announcement"?

zzzzz.....

T5 supposedly.

The aviation department might want to get on adding that planned terminal on the heating plant site or expanding T5 sooner rather than later. Though two more gates in L will be freed up when AA divests to close the merger.

Agreed. Kind of a let down, but good news nonetheless.