CHICAGO: ORD & MDW discussion

[N830MH]

Originally Posted by Tcmetro

Youtube video of ATS under testing at O'Hare
• Video Link

Thanks for sharing this! Hope they open it up soon. Fingers crossed!

[bnk]

https://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/...hare-to-r.html


United adds nonstop flights from O'Hare to Reykjavik, Iceland


By Ben Miller
– Staff Reporter,

Apr 19, 2021


United Airlines said it will become the first U.S. airline to fly nonstop from Chicago to Iceland when it begins flying from O'Hare International Airport to Reykjavic beginning July 1.

The Chicago-based carrier (Nasdaq: UAL) announced the new international flight on Monday,....




United said it will fly from Chicago to Iceland using a Boeing 757-200 airplane and flights will operate daily through October 3.

"As countries around the world begin the process of reopening, leisure travelers are eager to take a long-awaited getaway to new international destinations,” said Patrick Quayle, vice president of international network and alliances for United, in a statement.

Also at O'Hare, United said it will resume service to Tel Aviv, Israel, with Chicago service resuming three times weekly on May 7. In May, United also said it will resume service from Chicago to Munich, Amsterdam, and Tokyo Haneda.


...

[F1 Tommy]

FYI:

https://www.iatanews.com/2021/04/20/...-of-countries/

[jonesrmj]

I know this isn't specific to Chicago, but given United is headquartered there, I thought it would be fitting to post this.

United Airlines Looks At Bringing Back Seatback Screens

United Airlines will be adding seatback screens to older aircraft. The carrier is looking to improve customer experience as it seeks to come out of the present pandemic with a fresh outlook.

The Chicago-based airline provides a broad range of programs and movies to stream on most of its aircraft. However, the airline is looking to up its offering on older members of its fleet. Ultimately, seatback IFE can be a gamechanger for several passengers when they’re looking for a full-service carrier. Therefore, this decision could go a long way for the company.

Live and Let’s Fly reports on details shared by Toby Enqvist, United’s Chief Customer Officer. He spoke about the initiatives in a video to his staff members. Overall, the executive is keen not to give passengers an excuse to fly with another airline. Actions include renovating older narrowbody planes to add new seats with seatback IFE fitted with AVOD (audio and video on demand).


“Our competition is really, really stiff, especially in our hubs. Our customers actually have a choice,” Enqvist said in the video, as described by Live and Let’s Fly.

“They don’t have to fly United, so we have to make them want to choose United.”

https://simpleflying.com/united-seat...creens-return/

What are your thoughts on this? Do you like having ife screens onboard, or are you fine with the stream to your device? Personally, I like the ife screens.

[SIGSEGV]

yeah I like keeping the map on the IFE screens.

[twister244]

I do recall some of the United flights had screens, but they had DirectTV you could pay for during the duration of the flight. That was a kinda a cool, different option, but in general, I like having the screens.

This really makes me miss Virgin America.... Mostly because they had nice screens AND you could just order everything on the screen and slide your card. That was really convenient as you didn't have to wait for the "cart" to make it to your row.

[F1 Tommy]

More cargo flights into RFD, but not just diverted from ORD. This article is overblown as ORD is not as bad as they make it out to be 80 % of the time. The mainly off airport sites at Global CFS customs seem to have long lines of trucks offsite waiting at their warehouse. RFD is not under used at night and will have the same problems offsite as fast as ORD did at heavy traffic times. Having said that it's good to see RFD grow, and they are taking from other midwestern hubs more than ORD.

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/fe...-ohare-airport

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

Wait, eastern airlines is still a thing???

I thought they went under decades ago.

At Eastern Airlines, world conquest is part of our master plan!

• Video Link

[Tom In Chicago]

I'm taking my first United flight - since last February - in a few weeks (have been "commuting" between Chicago and deep south Texas for the last year using American due to a preferable timetable due to the covid schedule adjustments). . . anyhow I'm being told that the flight is on a 737-MAX plane between Chicago and Houston. . . that's all. . .

. . .

[Chicagoguy]

Originally Posted by Tom In Chicago

I'm taking my first United flight - since last February - in a few weeks (have been "commuting" between Chicago and deep south Texas for the last year using American due to a preferable timetable due to the covid schedule adjustments). . . anyhow I'm being told that the flight is on a 737-MAX plane between Chicago and Houston. . . that's all. . .

. . .

I just flew on a United Airlines 737-MAX between Chicago and Denver a few weeks ago and enjoyed the experience very much! You'll enjoy the upgrade!

[F1 Tommy]

Air Canada has started using 737 Max's on the ORD-YYZ flights. So we have AA to MIA, UA to DEN and IAH and now Air Canada. Southwest also has Max's at MDW and I am sure soon at ORD.

[jonesrmj]

Originally Posted by F1 Tommy

Air Canada has started using 737 Max's on the ORD-YYZ flights. So we have AA to MIA, UA to DEN and IAH and now Air Canada. Southwest also has Max's at MDW and I am sure soon at ORD.

Yeah, I did notice an Air Canada 737 Max coming in to ORD on Flightradar24. So I guess they've slowly been increasing capacity because it used to be E-175s, then A220s, and now the 737 Max?

[F1 Tommy]

Originally Posted by jonesrmj

Yeah, I did notice an Air Canada 737 Max coming in to ORD on Flightradar24. So I guess they've slowly been increasing capacity because it used to be E-175s, then A220s, and now the 737 Max?

Yep, along with the cargo 777's and 787's that come in whenever they feel like it from MAD, YVR and YYZ.

[jonesrmj]

O’Hare 21 Project Launches Largest Concessions Offering In A Decade With The Issuance Of RFP For 10 Locations

CHICAGO – Today, the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) released a Request for Proposal (RFP) inviting qualified operators to submit proposals to lease, develop and operate 10 concession locations at O’Hare International Airport. Seven of the locations are in International Terminal 5, where the terminal expansion and improvements are underway, including the construction and modification of 10 gates. The others are located in Terminal 3.

“This is a huge undertaking as the Chicago Department of Aviation continues to move forward with the transformation of O’Hare,” said Chicago Mayor Lori M. Lightfoot. “This RFP offers more diversity to small and minority business owners who will be ready to offer their goods and services to passengers as safe travel practices increase.”

This RFP, the largest in more than 10 years for O’Hare, is part of the $8.5 billion O’Hare 21 project. which is designed to modernize facilities and deliver more gates, offer new passenger amenities and more economic opportunity for the City of Chicago while keeping travelers worldwide connected to the City. More information about the O’Hare 21 project is here.

https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/dept...l/4232021.html

What are some concessions that would you like to see added at O'Hare? I think Chick-fil-A should be one of them because it's pretty popular and I was surprised to see that there isn't a single one at O'Hare.

[jonesrmj]

‘Critical moment’ for $8.7B O’Hare Airport expansion project

Chicago-based architectural giant Skidmore, Owings & Merrill will be paid $140 million to design two new satellite concourses at O’Hare Airport that will cost $1.4 billion, accommodate wide-body jets and be twice as roomy as existing concourses.

The five-year contract — and the selection of HNTB to serve as lead civil engineer — was hailed as a “critical milestone” in the $8.7 billion O’Hare expansion project former Mayor Rahm Emanuel pushed through the City Council before leaving office.

Skidmore and HNTB will join a team that includes renowned Chicago architect Jeanne Gang, whose firm was chosen to design the new $2.2 billion global terminal at O’Hare that will be the centerpiece of the massive expansion project.

“Having our three lead designers in place and working in parallel is a critical moment for the overall success of the O’Hare 21 program,” Aviation Commissioner Jamie Rhee said in a news release.

“With Studio ORD and SOM providing inspiration above ground and HNTB lending their considerable expertise below ground, we have assembled a team of unparalleled vision and talent and every traveler who uses O’Hare will benefit.”

Rhee vowed to deliver the complex expansion project “on schedule and on budget” without a hiccup.

“All three designers will contribute significantly to this goal through their designs and input to detailed implementation plans,” Rhee said.

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill is the architectural firm that designed Chicago’s best-known skyscrapers: Willis Tower, formerly known as Sears Tower, and the John Hancock Center.

Ten days after taking office, Mayor Lori Lightfoot awarded a $160 million contract Gang’s firm to design the global terminal.

Lightfoot forged ahead, even though she was not happy with the secretive City Hall selection process masterminded by former Mayor Rahm Emanuel that culminated in Studio Gang being declared the highest-scoring design team.

Under terms of that June 2018 request for qualifications, City Hall made a commitment to enter into negotiations with the second-highest scoring team to design the satellite concourses once the global terminal contract was awarded.

The Gang-led partnership that includes Solomon Cordwell Buenz, Corgan, Milhouse Engineering and Construction and STL Architects finished first in a subsequent request for proposals. Skidmore received the second-highest score and, therefore, has received the runner-up design prize.

With loads of light and twice the width of existing concourses, the new concourses will be west of the terminal core, adding 1.2 million square feet to an expanding O’Hare.

Together with the new global terminal that will replace Terminal 2, the concourses will provide 70 percent more passenger space and 75 percent more commercial space. That’s enough room to add 50 additional concessions for restaurants and retail stores.

Passengers will use underground tunnels to access the new concourses until the global terminal is completed. After that, a tram will connect air travelers to the new concourses.

The concourse known as Satellite 2 will be completed first — by December 2024.

It will handle domestic arrivals. International arrivals will be limited to so-called “pre-cleared markets,” meaning passengers have already passed through Customs before boarding their flights to O’Hare.

The concourse known as Satellite 1 is scheduled to open in December 2025 to arrivals and departures for both domestic and international flights with no restrictions.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/city-ha...ite-concourses

According to this, the first satellite concourse will be completed in 2024, and the second satellite concourse will be completed in 2025.

Still no renderings though for SOM's satellite concourses. This is what their global terminal design looked like, so I assume they would look similar to this:

[Dracmus]

I miss Eastern Airlines...They were a great carrier. Of course this was back in the days when you could have people meet you at the gate and smoking was still allowed on flights (my grandfather would be rather upset that he couldn't smoke on flights nowadays).

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

Wait, eastern airlines is still a thing???

I thought they went under decades ago.

[SIGSEGV]

Originally Posted by jonesrmj

O’Hare 21 Project Launches Largest Concessions Offering In A Decade With The Issuance Of RFP For 10 Locations



https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/dept...l/4232021.html

What are some concessions that would you like to see added at O'Hare? I think Chick-fil-A should be one of them because it's pretty popular and I was surprised to see that there isn't a single one at O'Hare.

I'm sure O'Hare would prefer to lease the space to a vendor willing to be open all seven days that the airport operates.

[twister244]

Originally Posted by jonesrmj

O’Hare 21 Project Launches Largest Concessions Offering In A Decade With The Issuance Of RFP For 10 Locations



https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/dept...l/4232021.html

What are some concessions that would you like to see added at O'Hare? I think Chick-fil-A should be one of them because it's pretty popular and I was surprised to see that there isn't a single one at O'Hare.

Portillos!!!!!

Seriously, I'm shocked O'Hare doesn't have one.....

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by twister244

Portillos!!!!!

Seriously, I'm shocked O'Hare doesn't have one.....

yeah, a portillo's at ORD could print its own money.

[F1 Tommy]

I heard Popeyes also wanted to open a spot at ORD but decided the leases were way to expensive.