Chicago O’Hare International Airport

IATA: ORD ICAO: KORD FAA LID: ORD WMO: 72530
Airport type	Public
Owner	City of Chicago
Operator	Chicago Department of Aviation
Serves	Chicago metropolitan area
Location	O’Hare, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Opened	February 1944
Hub for	American AirlinesUnited AirlinesCargoAtlas Air
Focus city for	Frontier AirlinesSpirit Airlines
Elevation AMSL	668 ft / 204 m
Coordinates	41°58′43″N 87°54′17″WCoordinates: 41°58′43″N 87°54′17″W
Website	www.flychicago.com/ohare

O’Hare International Airport (IATA: ORD, ICAO: KORD, FAA LID: ORD), typically referred to as O’Hare Airport, Chicago O’Hare, or simply O’Hare, is an international airport located on the Northwest Side of Chicago, Illinois, 14 miles (23 km) northwest of the Loop business district. Operated by the Chicago Department of Aviation and covering some 7,627 acres (3,087 ha), O’Hare has non-stop flights to 228 destinations in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania as of 2018.

Designed to be the successor to Chicago’s “busiest square mile in the world”, O’Hare began as an airfield serving a Douglas manufacturing plant for C-54 military transports during World War II. It was named for Edward “Butch” O’Hare, the U.S. Navy’s first Medal of Honor recipient during that war. Later, at the height of the Cold War, O’Hare served as an active fighter base for the Air Force.

As the first major airport planned after World War II, O’Hare’s innovative design pioneered concepts such as concourses, direct highway access to the terminal, jet bridges, and underground refueling systems. It became famous as the first World’s Busiest Airport of the jet age, holding that distinction from 1963 to 1998; today, it is the world’s sixth-busiest airport, serving 83 million passengers in 2018.  In 2015, Chicago had 11.4 million international passengers, while New York’s JFK had 29.4 million and Miami and Los Angeles each had 20.2 million.  In the year ending December 31, 2019, O’Hare had 919,704 aircraft operations, averaging 2,520 per day, the most of any airport in the world in part because of a large number of regional flights.

O’Hare is unusual in that it serves as a major hub for more than one of the three U.S. mainline carriers: United Airlines (which is headquartered in Chicago) and American Airlines. It is also a focus city for Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines.

While Terminals 2 and 3 remain of the original design, the airfield has seen radical modernization, and an expansion of passenger facilities in the terminal complex began in 2020, which will remake it as North America’s first airport built around airline alliances.

Facilities

O’Hare has four numbered passenger terminals with nine lettered concourses and a total of 191 gates. 

With the exception of flights from airports with U.S. Customs and Border Protection preclearance, all inbound international flights arrive at Terminal 5, as the other terminals do not have customs screening facilities. Several alliance partners, such as ANA, Iberia, Japan Airlines, and Lufthansa, have outbound international flights departing from Terminals 1 and 3. This requires that the aircraft arrive and discharge passengers at Terminal 5, after which the empty plane is towed to another terminal for boarding. This is to expedite connections for passengers transferring from domestic flights to those outbound international flights; while Terminals 1, 2, and 3 all allow airside connections, Terminal 5 is separated from the other terminals by a set of taxiways that cross over the airport’s access road, requiring passengers to exit security, ride a shuttle bus, and then re-clear security before boarding.

Terminal 1

Terminal 1, containing Concourses B & C, is home to United Airlines flights, including all mainline flights and some United Express operations, as well as some departures for Star Alliance partners Lufthansa and ANA.

Concourses B and C are linear concourses located in separate buildings parallel to each other. Concourse B is adjacent to the airport roadway and houses passenger check-in, baggage claim, and security screenings on its landside and aircraft gates on its airside. Concourse C is a satellite terminal with gates on all sides, in the middle of the ramp, and is connected to Concourse B via an underground pedestrian tunnel under the ramp. The tunnel originates between gates B8 and B9 in Concourse B, and ends on Concourse C between gates C17 and C19. The tunnel is illuminated with a neon installation titled Sky’s the Limit (1987) by Canadian artist Michael Hayden, which plays an airy, slow-tempo version of Rhapsody in Blue.

United operates three United Clubs in Terminal 1. For premium international passengers, United operates a Polaris Lounge and a United Arrivals Suite.

Terminal 2

Terminal 2, containing Concourses E & F, houses Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, Delta and Delta Connection domestic flights, JetBlue, and most United Express operations (although United check-ins take place in Terminal 1). The terminal contains a Delta Sky Club and a United Club.

Terminal 3

Terminal 3, containing Concourses G, H, K & L, houses all departing and domestic arriving American and American Eagle flights, as well as departures for Oneworld carriers Iberia and Japan Airlines and unaffiliated carriers.

Concourses G and L house most American Eagle operated flights, while Concourses H and K house American’s mainline operations. American’s Oneworld partners Japan Airlines and Iberia depart from K19 or K16. Concourse L is also used by non-affiliated airlines Air Choice One, Cape Air, and Spirit. A new “stinger” extension of Concourse L, with five new American regional gates, opened to service in May 2018.

American has three Admirals Club locations in Terminal 3. For premium international passengers, American operates a Flagship Lounge.

Terminal 5

Terminal 5, containing Concourse M, houses all of O’Hare’s international arrivals (excluding flights with Air Canada, American and United from airports with U.S. border preclearance). Other destinations with preclearance, including flights operated by Aer Lingus and Etihad Airways, arrive at Terminal 5 but are treated as domestic arrivals. With the exception of select Star Alliance and Oneworld flights that board from Terminal 1 or Terminal 3 respectively, all non-U.S. carriers except Air Canada depart from Terminal 5.

The first effects of ORD21 can be seen by developments at Terminal 5: in 2018, Frontier Airlines became the first domestic carrier to move operations to Terminal 5, and the expansion of Terminal 5 began in March 2019 at the eastern end of Concourse M. It is not expected to interfere with passenger operations.

Several airlines have lounges in Terminal 5, including Air France – KLM, British Airways, Korean Air, SAS, and SWISS; there is also a multi-carrier Swissport Lounge. The airport’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility is located on the arrival (lower) level.

Runways

O’Hare has two sets of parallel runways, one on either side of the terminal complex. The north airfield has two parallel east-west runways (9L/27R and 9R/27L), with 9C/27C scheduled for completion in 2020. The south airfield, where the O’Hare Modernization Program is largely complete, has three parallel east-west runways (10L/28R, 10C/28C, and 10R/28L). Two parallel runways are oriented northeast/southwest (4R/22L, 4L/22R), one on each side of the airport. The north crosswind runway, 4L/22R, intersects 9R/27L and forthcoming 9C/27C, limiting its use; however, runway 22L is often used for takeoffs during what is called “west flow” on the main runways. The airfield is managed by three ground control towers.

Original runway 18/36 closed in 2003, and runway 14L/32R closed in 2015. The last of the runways to close under the OMP, originally 14R/32L, was decommissioned on March 29, 2018, and the FAA Airport Diagram now designates the remaining sections as taxiway SS. In 1956, it had been the first runway added to the old Douglas Field layout (8,000 feet long when originally constructed) and was lengthened to 11,600 feet and rebuilt with concrete in 1960 to become O’Hare’s first full-length jet runway.

O’Hare has a voluntary nighttime (22:00–07:00) noise abatement program.

Ground transportation

Currently, passengers are shuttled between the terminal core (Terminals 1 – 3), Terminal 5, and the remote lots and new Multi-Modal Facility (MMF) via free shuttle buses; buses board on the lower level of each terminal and run every 5–10 minutes, 24 hours a day. The Bus Shuttle center, located on the main floor of the parking garage opposite terminals 1–3, provides a temporary boarding location for local hotel shuttles and regional public transport buses.

Normally, such transfers would be made using the 2.5 mi (4.0 km)-long automated Airport Transit System (ATS), which connects all four terminals landside and the rental and remote parking lots. However, the ATS is undergoing a $310 million modernization and expansion that includes replacing the existing 15-car fleet with 36 new Bombardier vehicles, upgrading the previous infrastructure, and extending the line 2,000 feet (610 m) to the MMF. As of January 8, 2019, the ATS was removed from service to allow for completion and testing of the project.

The new MMF opened in October 2018 and is the home of all on-airport car rental firms as well as some extended parking. Rental customers now proceed from the terminal to the MMF via shuttle bus. After the completion of the ATS project in late 2019, it is anticipated that all shuttle bus service to the terminals will end, eliminating some 1.3 million bus trips yearly. In addition, the Chicago-area commuter rail system, Metra, has a transfer station of its North Central Service (NCS) located at the northeast corner of the MMF; however, the NCS currently operates an occasional schedule on weekdays only.

The CTA Blue Line’s north terminus is at O’Hare  and provides direct service to downtown via the Milwaukee–Dearborn subway in the Loop and continuing to west suburban Forest Park. Trains depart at intervals ranging from every four to thirty minutes, 24 hours a day. The station is located on the lower level of the parking garage, and can be accessed directly from Terminals 1–3 via tunnel and from Terminal 5 via shuttle bus.

About 23,000 parking spaces are available at O’Hare. A large multi-level garage containing short-term parking is located immediately opposite the terminal core, and there is a short-term lot immediately in front of Terminal 5. There are also several economy lots available; these are located farther away but are accessed from the terminals with free shuttle bus service. Rates at airport lots currently range from $15 to $77 a day.

O’Hare is directly served by Interstate 190, which offers interchanges with Mannheim Road (U.S. 12 and 45), the Tri-State Tollway (Interstate 294), and Interstate 90. I-90 continues as the Kennedy Expressway into downtown Chicago and becomes the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway northwest to Rockford and the Wisconsin state line.

Hotel

The Hilton Chicago O’Hare is between the terminal core and parking garage and is currently the only hotel on airport property. It is owned by the Chicago Department of Aviation and operated under an agreement with Hilton Hotels, who extended their agreement with the city by ten years in 2018.

Cargo facilities

There are presently two main cargo areas at O’Hare. The South Cargo Area was relocated in the 1980s from the airport’s first air cargo facilities, which were located east of the terminal core, where Terminal 5 now stands. Many of the structures in this new cargo area then had to be rebuilt, again, to allow for the OMP and specifically runway 10R/28L; as a result, what is now called the South Cargo Area is located between 10R/28L and 10C/28C. This large collection of facilities, in three sections (Southwest, South Central, and Southeast), were established mainly by traditional airline-based air cargo; Air France Cargo, American, JAL Cargo, KLM, Lufthansa Cargo, Northwest and United all built purpose-built, freestanding cargo facilities, although some of these are now leased out to dedicated cargo firms. In addition, the area contains two separate facilities for shipper FedEx and one for UPS.

The Northeast Cargo Area (NEC) is a conversion of the former military base (the Douglas plant area) at the northeast corner of the airport property. It is a new facility designed to increase O’Hare’s cargo capacity by 50%. Two buildings currently make up the NEC: a 540,000 square feet (50,000 m²) building completed in 2016, and a 240,000 square feet (22,000 m²) building that was completed in 2017. A third structure will complete the NEC with another 150,000 square feet (14,000 m²) of warehouse space.

The current capability of the cargo areas provide 2 million square feet (190,000 m²) of airside cargo space with parking for 40 wide-body freighters matched with over 2 million square feet (190,000 m²) of landside warehousing capability. O’Hare shipped over 1.8 million tonnes of cargo in 2018, third among major airports in the U.S.

Other facilities

The USO offers two facilities: one open 24 hours and located before security in Terminal 2, and an additional site behind security in Terminal 3, open 06:00–22:30 daily. Each offers meals, refreshments, TV and quiet rooms, and internet access. Active duty military personnel and their families, as well as new recruits going to Recruit Training Command, are welcome.

The large Postal Service processing facility at O’Hare is located at the far south end of the airfield along Irving Park Road. Being on secured airfield property, it is not open to the public. USPS drop locations are provided in Terminals 1, 3 and 5.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

Note^1 : Ethiopian Airlines’ flight from Addis Ababa to O’Hare stops at Dublin, but the flight from O’Hare to Addis Ababa is direct.

Cargo

Top destinations

Busiest domestic routes from ORD
(February 2019 – January 2020)

Busiest international routes to and from ORD (2016)

Major accidents and incidents

The following is a list of major crashes or incidents that occurred to planes at O’Hare, on approach, or just after takeoff from the airport:

• On September 17, 1961, Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 706, a Lockheed L-188 Electra, crashed upon takeoff, killing all 37 on board.
• On August 16, 1965, United Airlines Flight 389, a Boeing 727, crashed 30 miles (48 km) east of O’Hare while on approach, killing all 30 on board.
• On December 27, 1968, North Central Airlines Flight 458, a Convair CV-580, crashed into a hangar at O’Hare, killing 27 on board and one on the ground.
• On December 20, 1972, North Central Airlines Flight 575, a Douglas DC-9, crashed upon takeoff after colliding with Delta Airlines Flight 954, a Convair CV-880 which was taxiing across the active runway; 10 passengers on the DC-9 were killed.
• On May 25, 1979, American Airlines Flight 191, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10 on a Memorial Day weekend flight to Los Angeles International Airport, had its left engine detach while taking off from runway 32R, then stalled and crashed into a field some 4,600 feet (1,400 m) feet away. 273 died, including two on the ground, in the deadliest single-aircraft crash in United States history, and the worst aviation disaster in U.S. history prior to the September 11, 2001 attacks.
• On March 19, 1982, a United States Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker crashed upon approach to O’Hare 40 miles (64 km) northwest of the city (near Woodstock), killing 27 people on board.
• On February 9, 1998, American Airlines Flight 1340, a Boeing 727, crashed upon landing from Kansas City, injuring 22 passengers.
• On October 28, 2016, American Airlines Flight 383 aborted takeoff after a fire in the right engine of the Boeing 767; 20 passengers and one flight attendant were injured.

Source: wikipedia

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