MDW/ORD | Chicago Area Airports

[krnboy1009]

How many Korean Air flights serve O'Hare per day? I heard 3 per day, but I need confirmation.

[diablo234]

Midway Recognized As Fastest-Growing U.S. Airport

The Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) received an anna.aero Airline Network News & Analysis award recognizing Midway International Airport as the fastest-growing airport in the U.S. The award is one of anna.aero's U.S. Airport Growth Awards, which are based on statistical data and other research.

Airline Route News and Analysis announced its U.S. Airport Growth Awards (U$ ANNIES) on Thursday, October 20, 2011 including Midway as the fastest growing airport in the largest airport category (more than 10 million passengers).


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[skyduster]

Originally Posted by Jan

That I agree, although in all fairness most US airports were built in a time which doesn't really reflect the current idea of pleasant or secure air travel. But upgrading seems to be a dirty word in airport-land. Especially compared to some of the new airports in Asia or the Middle East, American ones are functional at best.

You're very right, but there are some exceptions. ORD's terminals 1 and 5, built in the late 80s and early 90s, were ahead of their time, with architecture and layouts that foreshadowed the terminals that were later built in Europe and East Asia (mid 90s to present). I'm not saying that these other terminals copied ORD, but that ORD was an early participant of a new trend that many European and Asian airports also participated in.

On the interior, I'm not terribly happy with T5 (in fact I hate much of the interior), but I love ORD's T1. When you consider the time it was designed (1980s), it really is a beautiful terminal, was ahead of its time, and has aged gracefully 20 years later. Terminals 2 and 3 very much fit the 1970s utilitarian design that's still common in most US airports, although they've done a great job renovating at least the check-in and baggage claim areas.

Originally Posted by Jan

At least O'Hare has a direct train connection the Loop. At both Newark and New York La Guardia you're at the mercy of the taxi drivers, so you find yourself being happy to have found a $150 flight only to pay 2 x $60 (plus toll) for the cab ride into town. Why no one ever bothered to properly connect these airports with Manhattan is a complete mystery to me.

Newark-Liberty is connected to Manhattan by train. You take the AirTrain Newark from the terminals to Newark Airport's NJ Transit station (about 15 minutes), and then take an NJ Transit train or even Amtrak train to New York Penn.

I hate LGA, and when I fly to NYC, I try as much as possible to use EWR or JFK, and I try to schedule my flights so that I don't have to wait long for the next NJ Transit or LIRR train into Manhattan (from JFK, I prefer LIRR over Subway which takes forever). I've had bad luck with road transportation (bus or cab) from LGA all the way to Manhattan; the traffic can make it a commute from hell. If you use LGA, at least take the bus to/from the nearest Subway station in Queens.

Originally Posted by diablo234

Honestly aside from the fact that I had to transfer once, the time it took me to get from EWR to Manhattan is less than the time it took to get me from ORD to the Loop.

So, you're not counting the AirTrain Newark ride, and the wait between AirTrain Newark and the NJ Transit train? That's completely unfair. Terminal to city center, the journey isn't any faster from EWR than it is from ORD. At ORD, terminals 1, 2, and 3 are walking distance to the CTA station (which is underneath T2); and even from Terminal 5, you take the ORD tram to T2, but it's a short ride. The beauty of ORD (vs EWR and JFK) is that the CTA trains go right into the airport, instead of being required to transfer to the airport's tram 15 minutes away from the terminals (and the airport's trains at EWR/JFK seem run like once every 5 hours).

Of course, the commute could be faster. All the RTA/CTA needs to do, to make the ORD-city centre commute faster, is just add some bypass tracks to several stations on the Blue Line and introduce express train service from ORD to city centre...make the commute from the current 50-55 minutes to 30 minutes to get to the Loop (and even less time for Lincoln Park and River North). Daley's proposal for a high-speed train was just silly, when the solution is so easy (of course, the solution may be easy, but getting such an easy thing done, isn't so easy, thanks to politics). The brown line can also be extended west, join the Blue Line at Jefferson Park, and proceed towards ORD. Again, easy solution, but no political will. Another option: Make the Metra's O'Hare Transfer station into a nice, big station, and have the ORD tram reach the station.

[krnboy1009]

I personally hope PATH is extended to EWR eventually.

[skyduster]

Originally Posted by krnboy1009

How many Korean Air flights serve O'Hare per day? I heard 3 per day, but I need confirmation.

No, it's one. One each way.

I double-checked ORD's website. It's confusing, because when you look up "Korean Air" flights, it also brings up domestic code-share flights, as well as cargo flights to Alaska.

To answer your question, it looks like only one daily ORD-ICN flight on Korean Airlines. To be specific, one daily westbound ORD-ICN flight, and one daily eastbound ICN-ORD flight.

Originally Posted by krnboy1009

I personally hope PATH is extended to EWR eventually.

What would be awesome. And PATH all the way to EWR. Not to the AirTrain Newark transfer station.

[phugiay]

Originally Posted by krnboy1009

How many Korean Air flights serve O'Hare per day? I heard 3 per day, but I need confirmation.

I think 4 per days.

[skyduster]

Did you not read my post above yours?

Only one per day, each way.

[nomarandlee]

via Spyguy @ SSP

Westfield's T5 Renovation (adding about 10,000 sf of new concession space)

http://www.chicagot5.com/

[skyduster]

Thank God. Terminal 5 has been such a retail/restaurant desert.

I never understood why O'Hare's newest terminal was designed that way...I understand it's not a hub terminal, but all those people waiting for flights could surely have a bite to eat now and then. I welcome Westfield's renovation.

[geogregor]

Originally Posted by skyduster

Thank God. Terminal 5 has been such a retail/restaurant desert.

I never understood why O'Hare's newest terminal was designed that way...I understand it's not a hub terminal, but all those people waiting for flights could surely have a bite to eat now and then. I welcome Westfield's renovation.

T5, is it the international terminal? It must be, when I was flying back from Chicago to London I was really surprised how deserted it was. Few kiosks and some stands witch cheap gifts and that's it.
And that is apparently one of the largest airports in the world. WTF

[lkstrknb]

Here are a couple videos I took over last summer. Enjoy!

[skyduster]

@geogregor,

Yes, T5 is the "international terminal"...meaning that it's the only terminal with facilities for customs and passport control. Therefore, all* incoming international flights are forced to arrive at terminal 5.

*except for "pre-clearance" flights from Canada's 8 largest airports (Toronto-Pearson, Montreal-Trudeau, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Halifax). That's because there's a bilateral USA-Canada agreement that allows US customs facilities in certain Canadian airports. In these 8 Canadian airports, US-bound passengers pass through US customs before departing Canada, in special concourses or terminals dedicated to US-bound flights. (The agreement allows Canada the right to set up customs facilities in US airports too, but Canada so far doesn't want to implement this).

However, departing international flights can leave from any terminal.

ANA's and Lufthansa's flights depart from United's/Star's T1 (as do United's international flights), and JAL's and Iberia's flights depart from American's/OneWorld's T3 (as do American's international flights).

But several Star Alliance or OneWorld flights still depart from T5. Cathay Pacific, LOT, Turkish, Asiana, and British Airways all depart from T5, despite being OneWorld or Star members. Of course, Skyteam's international flights (Air France, Alitalia, KLM, Aeromexico, Korean, etc), also use T5 (which makes sense given that ORD is not a Skyteam hub), as do airlines like Etihad which are not affiliated with any alliance.

The whole system is rather disjointed really, and perplexing, given the fact that ORD is a major hub for both OneWorld and Star. T5 is physically disconnected and distant from terminals 1-3 (there currently is no T4). If you're flying in from, say, Copenhagen on SAS, and need to connect at ORD for a domestic UA flight to, say, Kansas City...you need to arrive at T5 and make your way all the way to T1. Which in a smartly-designed airport wouldn't be a big deal. Except at ORD, you need to exit the terminal, take the airport's transit system to United's T1, and then go through security again to catch your connecting flight to Kansas city. Quite silly.

Now, T5 was designed and built right before airline alliances were created. So, creating a single terminal for Star wasn't foreseen. But ironically, it's AA and UA who are resisting fixing this problem. The municipality of Chicago (which owns ORD), wants to modernize the airport, but UA and AA don't want to help pay for new terminals (and terminals 1-3 can get very crowded at peak times).

[nomarandlee]

E-letter from Chicago Department of Aviation

Chicago Department of Aviation

Future of O'Hare Modernization Discussed at Elgin O'Hare West Bypass Meeting

WHEATON, Ill., January 18, 2012 -- Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) Commissioner Rosemarie S. Andolino today provided a detailed update on the O'Hare Modernization Program (OMP) to the Elgin O'Hare West Bypass (EOWB) Finance Committee at the DuPage County Complex.

The Elgin O'Hare Committee is comprised of leaders from the suburbs of DuPage County as well as other local and state government officials and stakeholders including the llinois State Toll Highway Authority and the Illinois Department of Transportation. The purpose of the Elgin O'Hare West Bypass project is to improve local and regional transportation efficiency and connections and access to O'Hare International Airport in the area bounded by the existing Elgin O'Hare Expressway to the west, I-90 on the north, I-290 on the south, and I-294 to the east.

During her presentation, Andolino discussed the work currently taking place on the OMP, including the construction of new Runway 10C-28C and the relocation of Irving Park Road and the Union Pacific Railroad to accommodate future runway and taxiway construction on O'Hare's south airfield. She also highlighted key dates for future milestones including the opening of Runway 10C-28C in the fourth quarter of 2013 and the commissioning of O'Hare's furthermost south Runway 10R-28L in 2015.

The presentation was followed by a question and answer session with Andolino that was moderated by DuPage County Board Chairman and Elgin O'Hare Finance Committee Co-Chairman Dan Cronin. The discussion focused mostly on proposed western access to O'Hare and how all of the stakeholders involved in the Elgin O'Hare project and the airport will continue to work together to ensure the success of this major regional transportation improvement plan.

"The CDA has been fully committed to cooperating with all the stakeholders of the Elgin O'Hare Bypass project," said Andolino. "We pledge to continue to work closely with all of our partners to ensure these projects move forward to create enormous economic benefits and new opportunities for our region."

For more information about the Elgin O'Hare project, including its Advisory Council visit: www.elginohare-westbypass.org.

[nomarandlee]

Chicago Department of Aviation

O'Hare Named "Best Airport in North America"


CHICAGO, January 20, 2012 - Chicago O'Hare International Airport did it again!

The Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA), which operates O'Hare and Midway International Airports, accepted the "Best Airport in North America" award for O'Hare International Airport from Global Traveler, a business travel and lifestyle magazine for international business travelers. It is the 12th straight year that O'Hare has been named "Best Airport in North America" by a leading travel magazine.

Global Traveler's CEO and Publisher Francis X. Gallagher and Vice President Richard T. Evans presented the award this week to Michael Boland, CDA First Deputy Commissioner in O'Hare's Terminal 2.


"On behalf of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, we are delighted to again have O'Hare International Airport recognized by Global Traveler's readers as the best among the best," said CDA Commissioner Rosemarie S. Andolino. "O'Hare is one of the busiest airports in the world and we are constantly working to improve the traveler experience by enhancing air service, world-class dining and shopping and other passenger amenities expected and demanded by business and leisure travelers. And we will continue to invest in the areas of technology, efficiency, sustainability, safety and other amenities."

Global Traveler readers were polled on 66 categories related to airlines, hotels, airports, loyalty programs and travel-related products, and the results determined the winners in each category. The full survey results can be found here or going to Global Traveler's web site, globaltravelerusa.com. More than 36,000 responses were received to the annual survey.

Global Traveler readers are frequent premium travelers averaging 16 international and 16 domestic round-trip flights a year, with an average annual household income of $340,000. Global Traveler's readers spend an average 80 nights per year away on foreign travel and 40 on domestic travel, and 78 percent regularly travel in first or business class.

O'Hare has won "Best Airport in North America" award for eight consecutive years, between 2004-2011, from Global Traveler, and four years between 2000-2003 from Global Traveler's precedessor magazine, Business Traveler.

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[diablo234]

Seems like American Airlines ORD to Delhi is going to be axed as a result of American's financial problems.

Yahoo! - American to drop Chicago-New Delhi flights

However Air India still has direct flights from ORD to Delhi it's not a huge loss.

[krnboy1009]

Maybe AA can put in a code share.

Other US airlines still fly to New Delhi so not a biggie.

[diablo234]

American already has a codeshare agreement with Jet Airways which is India's largest carrier.

Anyways it should be noted that AA's ORD-DEL route along with Air India's ORD-DEL route are the only direct flights from India to the US that don't involve flying into either EWR or JFK in New York.

[nomarandlee]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/busine...,7327623.story

United Continental planning upgrades to O'Hare's Terminal 2
By Gregory Karp

Tribune staff reporter

4:52 p.m. CST, February 3, 2012
United Continental Holdings is planning upgrades to its facilities in Terminal 2 at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, including new jet bridges for regional flights and a newly constructed United Club lounge.

The airline will add 10 new jet bridges for its United Express regional flights out of the terminal. They will allow passengers to board directly onto aircraft, without descending stairs, walking outdoors and ascending stairs to the plane. An airline spokesman on Friday did not have further details on the plans.

The airline is also in the early stages of creating a new United Club lounge in Terminal 2 to replace the current one and will be about triple the size.

The project is still in the design stage, a spokesman said. The membership-only clubs offer complimentary bar service, light snacks and beverages, along with business amenities such as Wi-Fi Internet access, conference rooms and workstations.

gkarp@tribune.com

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[nomarandlee]

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2012/02/...-ohare-midway/

Mayor Emanuel: Time To Speed Up Trains To O’Hare, Midway

February 8, 2012 7:39 PM

CHICAGO (STMW) – Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Wednesday he’s evaluating plans to shave up to 12 minutes off CTA travel times between downtown and O’Hare Airport and Midway Airports, a goal he views as more attainable than his predecessor’s dream of an express train to O’Hare.

“While that may be a long-term [goal] and probably is, what can I do today, because I’ve got a lot of immediate economic needs … I have people working on what would it take to take ten minutes off that travel. That, to me, is more of an immediate” goal, Emanuel said.

“Whether it’s 12 minutes, ten minutes, eight minutes — I don’t know. You should just know we’re evaluating it right now because, while it’s great for the quality of life for basic people who live here, it will make the airport and the city’s economy overall more competitive,” he said.

During a roundtable discussion with United Airlines employees at the Willis Tower, Emanuel noted that recent track improvements that eliminated slow zones on the Blue Line shaved roughly four minutes off the trip from downtown to O’Hare.............

When a United employee argued that Chicago sorely needs an express train to O’Hare, Emanuel said the goal could probably be accomplished “over two horizons” — not one.............

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[bewilder2]

It really does need an express line.