CHICAGO: ORD & MDW discussion

[Steely Dan]

Good news for MDW. The long 2 year slide in pax #'s appears to have bottomed out, at least for now.

Midway Airport starts to claw its way back

By
John Pletz
June 19, 2026 10:35 AM CDT

Traffic at Midway International Airport has begun to pick up slightly after two years of decline.

Source: https://www.chicagobusiness.com/transpor...port-traffic-rebound-southwest-20260619/


Article goes on to mention that Frontier has significantly scaled back MDW scheduling in favor of ORD, which I wasn't aware of.

Maybe they're trying to pick up some of the slack from the Spirit implosion?

[F1 Tommy]

EgyptAir A350 flights started last Sunday to Cairo .


Philippine Airlines to Manila still a go starting in November 2026. I think this will be a hot new route.

Old article.


https://onemileatatime.com/news/philippine-airlines-chicago-flights/

[twister244]

The ORD X page posted a really good aerial of the current midfield construction area - https://x.com/fly2ohare/status/2075326903859265987/photo/1



The concrete mat for the base of Concourse D is being put down. It also appears the big excavated area is the consolidated tunnel which will eventually connect the new satellites to the Global Terminal.

I still think it's possible things get switched back up again and E goes up before the Global Terminal. No way the airlines are going to want to see their flight count get slashed as a result of T2 being demolished to make way for a Global Terminal when you can just build E first then move the T2 flights over....... I posted this over in a.net, but I think the airport is hedging right now by preparing for both outcomes. Do all of the consolidated tunnel, taxiway, utility work now - Then you are ready for either the Global Terminal or E getting built next.

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by twister244

It also appears the big excavated area is the consolidated tunnel which will eventually connect the new satellites to the Global Terminal.

I thought they had ruled out an APM system, but it looks like they are building the tunnel large enough for an APM guideway in the future. Glad they aren't being foolish about this. You don't wanna rip up the airfield twice.

No way the airlines are going to want to see their flight count get slashed as a result of T2 being demolished to make way for a Global Terminal when you can just build E first then move the T2 flights over

That depends on how quickly the D gates get filled up, and broader travel trends. If demand levels off, then the D gates could buy them enough flexibility to close T2 for a few years.

[twister244]

Originally Posted by ardecila

That depends on how quickly the D gates get filled up, and broader travel trends. If demand levels off, then the D gates could buy them enough flexibility to close T2 for a few years.

Agreed, but if D were completed today, I would expect the airlines to be pushing hard to get E off the ground. You can't move all of the T2 flights into D - There aren't enough new gates, and United would probably much rather have larger widebodies in new gates that can yield more revenue than hand these new gates over to regional T2 flights....

[Chi-Sky21]

Man, that is a hike to that farthest terminal. E I believe. A long time to be looking at colored lights on a moving walkway......

[left of center]

Originally Posted by Chi-Sky21

Man, that is a hike to that farthest terminal. E I believe. A long time to be looking at colored lights on a moving walkway......

The ORD Next tunnel will have an APM (automated people mover train), which will ultimately connect the new concourses to the rebuilt Terminal 2, and eventually (several decades from now), a Western Terminal by the IL-390 and I-490 interchange.

ORD will start to loosely resemble ATL in a sense, with parallel concourses and runways north and south of them, which will be a much better configuration over what exists currently.


Source: https://chicagoyimby.com/2024/09/69654.html

You can see the land to the west of the new concourses will remain undeveloped, in order to accomodate future demand for new gates. The Western Terminal will initially be for airport employees, with the eventual plan to expand it for passenger service.

[Chi-Sky21]

Thank you that makes a lot more sense NOW. But when they start to use that west terminal can you imagine connecting to a flight there from terminal 5? OUCH!

[twister244]

Originally Posted by Chi-Sky21

Thank you that makes a lot more sense NOW. But when they start to use that west terminal can you imagine connecting to a flight there from terminal 5? OUCH!

There are no plans for a "Western Terminal" right now. The plan is to buildout some employee access facilities out there.....

I don't have the image ready right now, but if anything were to go up beyond Concourse E and the Global Terminal, it's two additional satellites West of where E is going to sit. Maybe at some point down the road they could theoretically build a Western Terminal, but that will be decades from now.

[OrdoSeclorum]

The city already published a document that includes details what the long term possibilities/plans are for ORD. https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/cc/34/ce66...ior-lien-revenue-bonds-series-2025eg.pdf

Before we get a Western Terminal, there are a number of other things that happen, probably in this order:

Satellite 1 is under construction. Then new the Global Terminal. Then Satellite 2 is built. Satellite 3 can proceed without a new airline approval vote once O’Hare has handled at least 101.5 million annual passengers for three consecutive years.

Then add Satellite 4, which would acquire airline approval.

After that it's more speculative, but a northward expansion of the currently under construction Satellite 1 is likely, adding gates there.

A complete redevelopment of Terminal 1 and the B and C gates there.

Redevelopment of Terminal 3 and concourse G.

There would be an additional parking garage and ground side Terminal 5 improvements happening in there somewhere.

Once there are three satellites and a people mover, it changes what's possible on the west side. A terminal there would *probably* not have gates. It would be access and a passenger processor plus parking and ground transportation on the west side with a connection to the new train. Of course, by whatever decade this is feasible we'll probably have AI piloting fusion powered electric aircraft, so who knows what security and flying will be like.

Anyway, with the ability to add three more satellite terminals plus the expansion of D, we're probably talking about ~70 more gates being possible. With a reconstruction of T1 and T3, we could accommodate a lot more widebodies if the satellites were handling smaller jets. Only Denver, Dallas and Washington Dulles have the full combination of land, runway geometry and development space to contemplate expansion comparable with O’Hare. Denver has preserved space for 12 (!) runways and sits on 53 square miles. It is probably the only airport whose theoretical ceiling for passenger capacity is higher than O'Hare's.

[twister244]

Originally Posted by OrdoSeclorum

The city already published a document that includes details what the long term possibilities/plans are for ORD. https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/cc/34/ce66...ior-lien-revenue-bonds-series-2025eg.pdf

Before we get a Western Terminal, there are a number of other things that happen, probably in this order:

Satellite 1 is under construction. Then new the Global Terminal. Then Satellite 2 is built. Satellite 3 can proceed without a new airline approval vote once O’Hare has handled at least 101.5 million annual passengers for three consecutive years.

Then add Satellite 4, which would acquire airline approval.

After that it's more speculative, but a northward expansion of the currently under construction Satellite 1 is likely, adding gates there.

A complete redevelopment of Terminal 1 and the B and C gates there.

Redevelopment of Terminal 3 and concourse G.

There would be an additional parking garage and ground side Terminal 5 improvements happening in there somewhere.

Once there are three satellites and a people mover, it changes what's possible on the west side. A terminal there would *probably* not have gates. It would be access and a passenger processor plus parking and ground transportation on the west side with a connection to the new train. Of course, by whatever decade this is feasible we'll probably have AI piloting fusion powered electric aircraft, so who knows what security and flying will be like.

Anyway, with the ability to add three more satellite terminals plus the expansion of D, we're probably talking about ~70 more gates being possible. With a reconstruction of T1 and T3, we could accommodate a lot more widebodies if the satellites were handling smaller jets. Only Denver, Dallas and Washington Dulles have the full combination of land, runway geometry and development space to contemplate expansion comparable with O’Hare. Denver has preserved space for 12 (!) runways and sits on 53 square miles. It is probably the only airport whose theoretical ceiling for passenger capacity is higher than O'Hare's.

Great breakdown.

I would just add that all of this is completely subjective to macro economics and what the airlines ultimately want to do. I'm still not convinced that the Global Terminal is next on the construction list.... If Concourse D were to be complete right now - UA won't be able to move all of their flights from Terminal 2 over to Concourse D. There are 43 gates in Terminal 2, yet only 19 new gates in D when it's complete. Even then though, these gates will able to accommodate wide body aircraft. I doubt UA is going to want to sacrifice wide-body capable gates just for regional flights they have in T2....... Hence, I could easily see UA pushing hard right now to have a plan in place to pivot to Concourse E instead of the Global Terminal. On the flip side, if the economy were to go to shit before D is complete, then there might be more appetite to get the Global Terminal done first with a lower flight demand at ORD during construction.

[Jstange059]

+1 to Chicago’s crane count, a crane is now up at O’hare! (If you can see it through the thick wildfire smoke!)

[left of center]

Nice shot! Safe travels wherever you may be headed! Or, I guess maybe welcome back?

[Jstange059]

Originally Posted by left of center

Nice shot! Safe travels wherever you may be headed! Or, I guess maybe welcome back?

Just returning from one of a bunch of business trips I’ve been on recently

[dewbs]

Best I could get from the end of the C gates.