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Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) is one of the busiest airports in the US and world – in 2019 pre-COVID it was the 6th busiest by passenger traffic (dipping to 13th busiest in the world in 2020). As a hub for two of the major US airlines – American and United – it operates as a major connecting hub for cross-country air traffic.
Despite its importance, the traveler experience has, as many who have experienced the airport will likely concur, something to be desired. The hopes is that a planned $8.5 billion expansion completed in phases over the next several years will increase this traveler experience and flight capacity.
See the interactive Google Map at the bottom of the post!
Three key facts about this map
The “international-only” T5 will now host domestic flights
One of the major phases in the ORD expansion is the addition of 10 new gates to Terminal 5, which previously was the terminal for all non-US airlines (and international arrivals for US and non-US airlines) – this is because it was the only terminal with US Customs and Border Control Facilities.
With the new expansion, T5 will see 10 new gates and will house all domestic operations of Delta and other SkyTeam Alliance members. This move will make connecting experiences between partner airlines much easier.
This means that those flying on Delta can connect through Chicago to a KLM flight (a Delta partner) to Amsterdam, or on a Korean Air flight (another Delta partner) to Seoul, without having to exit the airport and take a train to another terminal.
Opened as one of the original terminals, T2 will be torn down and replaced
When the airport opened in 1962, Terminal 2 was one of the three major terminals in the original design – but not for much longer. The hallmark feature of the ORD expansion plan is the creation of the “O’Hare Global Terminal” to replace T2. The replacement of the terminal from a 1960s “modernist block design” to new, open space will, according to the City of Chicago: “Dramatically improving the first impressions that tens of millions of travelers will have when visiting Chicago each year.”
Apparently there will be no loss of gate capacity during the construction
According to the planners, despite Terminal 2 being raised in place of the “O’Hare Global Terminal” there will not be any reduction in gate capacity. This is because two new satellite terminals are expected to be built first to shift activity in order to make space for the construction of the larger global terminal, expected to be completed by 2028.
Additional links and sources
- Information on the T5 expansion project (link, published in 2021)
- Renderings of the new O’Hare Global Terminal (link)
- Official website of O’Hare 2021 – the entire $8.5 billion modernization project (link)
Have you travelled through ORD? Do you think this expansion is worth the $$$?
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