ORDAirport Guide

Austrian, SWISS, Finnair and SAS at O'Hare

Austrian, SWISS, Finnair and SAS check in at O'Hare Terminal 5, Lufthansa at Terminal 1. Which lounge names each airline and where customs is.

A yellow 5D sign hanging in front of the white lattice and fabric-panel wall of the Terminal 5 check-in hall at O'Hare, where Austrian, SWISS, Finnair and SAS check in.
Terminal 5 check-in hall, O'Hare

Austrian, SWISS, Finnair and SAS all check in at Terminal 5, on the Departures and Check-In level. Lufthansa checks in at Terminal 1, so don’t file it with the other four.

The five airlines and their lounges

Airline Lounge that names it
Austrian Airlines Wingtips Lounge
SWISS Wingtips Lounge
Finnair None open (Priority Pass lists the Swissport Lounge as permanently closed)
SAS Wingtips Lounge, as Scandinavian Airlines
Lufthansa Wingtips Lounge, which is in Terminal 5

Your airline has the last word on which terminal your flight uses. If your booking names more than one airline, ask which one is flying the Chicago leg before you pick a terminal. The A to Z airline guide has every other airline’s terminal.

From Terminal 1 to Terminal 5

Terminal 5 has no walk to the other terminals on the secure side, so the way across is the Airport Transit System. It’s free and runs 24 hours a day. It comes every 3 to 5 minutes at peak times. Checkpoint 10, the terminal’s only checkpoint, is open 24 hours.

Connecting passengers have a second way. The Terminal Transfer Bus leaves Terminal 1 from Gate C18B every 15 minutes from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and stays on the secure side. It carries connecting passengers only, with a boarding pass for a same-day Terminal 5 departure. Outside those hours, the airport’s Transportation Between Terminals page says a connection means leaving security, riding the Airport Transit System and being screened again at a TSA checkpoint. The terminal train guide gives the end-to-end ride time.

Which lounge names your airline

One lounge in Terminal 5 names these airlines, and it’s on Concourse M past security. The Wingtips Lounge is near Gate M19 and open daily 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Among the airlines the airport’s page lists for it are Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines and SWISS, along with SkyTeam Elite Plus members.

Finnair customers have no open lounge that names their airline. The Swissport Lounge did, but Priority Pass lists it as permanently closed, and the airport’s lounge page still lists it. Don’t plan around it.

The airport’s page names no fares, so ask your airline whether your ticket includes the lounge. Priority Pass members get into Wingtips up to 3 hours before departure. They can also use the Air France Lounge near Gate M17, which is open daily 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. but doesn’t take Priority Pass between noon and 5 p.m.

The LOT Business Lounge near Gate M18 names none of the five airlines. It takes Star Alliance business class customers and eligible frequent flyer members, and the airport’s page doesn’t say which airlines count as Star Alliance, so ask yours. The page sends airline membership holders and other travel programs to LOT’s own rules, and it publishes no hours for the lounge.

On day passes, the airport’s page says travelers without a membership “may also purchase day passes for most of the clubs.” It names no club and no price. The lounge access guide has the prices that other lounges print.

If you’re landing from abroad

The airport’s International Traveler page sends international arrivals to Terminal 5 for passport control, bags and customs. It doesn’t say which airlines land there. Passengers who preclear in their departure city (the page mentions several in Canada and Ireland) go straight to the domestic baggage claim in Terminal 5. Others arriving from preclearance destinations may land in Terminals 1, 2 or 3.

The airport’s airline directory lists Lufthansa under Terminal 1 for departures and Terminal 5 for arrivals, which fits international arrivals clearing customs in Terminal 5. Nothing on the International Traveler page ties customs to any other airline’s check-in terminal, so ask your airline which terminal your arriving flight uses. The Terminal 5 arrivals guide has the passport lines, bag claim and customs.

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