ORDAirport Guide

Connecting through O'Hare on American: how it works

American flies from Terminal 3 at O'Hare, Concourses G, H, K and L. Terminals 1 and 2 are a secure-side walk. Terminal 5 takes a bus or the train.

A round table and tan chairs by the window wall in an airline lounge on Concourse G in Terminal 3 at O'Hare.
Concourse G near Gate G8, Terminal 3

American flies out of Terminal 3 at O’Hare, which has four concourses: G, H, K and L. From there, Terminals 1 and 2 are a walk on the secure side with no second security screening. Terminal 5 is the exception, and it takes a bus or a train.

Four concourses, one set of checkpoints

Terminal 3 has gates G1A to G21, H1A to H18, K1 to K20 and L1A to L28. The airport lists the same four checkpoints, 6, 7, 7A and 8, for every concourse. They don’t close together, so a late connection depends on which one you use.

Checkpoint Listed open until
6 8 p.m.
7 8 p.m., with a TSA PreCheck lane open 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
8 8:30 p.m.
7A 10:30 p.m.
Concourse American’s lounges Terminal Transfer Bus to Terminal 5
G Admirals Club near Gate G8, daily 6:15 a.m. to 9:45 p.m. Gate G17
H Admirals Club at Gate H6/K6, daily 4:15 a.m. to 10:45 p.m. Flagship Lounge between Gates H6 and K6, daily 4:15 a.m. to 10:15 p.m. None
K Flagship Lounge, where H and K meet, daily 4:15 a.m. to 10:15 p.m. Gate K20
L Admirals Club near Gate L2A, daily 5 a.m. to 9:45 p.m. None

The Terminal 3 page shows how the concourses and checkpoints fit together, and the American Airlines page lists where American checks in.

The Admirals Clubs and the Flagship Lounge

The airport’s lounge page lists Admirals Clubs at Gates G8, L2A and H6/K6, the last beside the Flagship Lounge. The Flagship Lounge’s hours in the table are American’s. The airport’s map shows 10:45 p.m. for it, the same as the Admirals Club beside it. The airport’s lounge page heads the Admirals Club row “American/JAL/Iberia”. Admirals Club members and eligible American Airlines customers get in, and so do Japan Airlines and Iberia customers whose fare or status includes lounge access. The Flagship Lounge is for American Airlines premium cabin and top tier customers on qualifying flights.

The airport says most clubs sell day passes. American’s own Admirals Club page warns that one-day passes may be limited or unavailable when a lounge is full, and it prints no price. For the Flagship Lounge, American sells a Single Visit Pass at $150 or 15,000 AAdvantage miles per person, subject to lounge capacity. The Admirals Club page lists shower suites at select locations, but not which ones. The airport’s list gives (800) 237-7971 for the Admirals Clubs. The lounges page lists every lounge the airport names.

If your next flight leaves from another terminal

Next flight leaves from How you get there Another security screening?
Terminal 1 or 2 Follow the overhead signs between the domestic terminals No
Terminal 5 Terminal Transfer Bus from Gate G17 or K20, every 15 minutes, 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., with a same-day boarding pass for the Terminal 5 flight No, during those hours. Outside them, leave security, ride the Airport Transit System and clear a TSA checkpoint

You don’t need the Airport Transit System between Terminals 1, 2 and 3, because the secure-side walkways link them. It matters for Terminal 5 and for the hours when the bus doesn’t run. The train is free and runs 24 hours a day. It arrives every 3 to 5 minutes at peak times.

If your two flights are on different carriers, the airport tells you to contact your airlines. The connections page lists the Airport Transit System’s hops between terminals and the Terminal Transfer Bus’s two routes.

Landing from abroad at Terminal 5

International flights that clear Customs and Border Protection at O’Hare arrive in Terminal 5. The airport says you must clear CBP and claim all your checked luggage before you enter the United States, connecting passengers included, unless you arrive from a preclearance airport. The Terminal 5 arrivals guide walks through the passport lines, bags, customs and re-check desks.

Connecting passengers get the chance to re-check their luggage before they enter security again. The airport’s map shows baggage re-check desks for United and for American Airlines on Terminal 5’s arrivals level.

Then ride the free Airport Transit System to Terminal 3. All connecting passengers go through TSA screening, so you clear a Terminal 3 checkpoint there. The airport also says you can be re-screened at a TSA checkpoint at Terminal 5 and then board the Terminal Transfer Bus with a boarding pass for your Terminal 3 flight. It runs 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

When a bag or a connection goes wrong

Terminal 3’s Arrivals and Baggage Claim level has American’s baggage assistance desk. The airport lists no hours for it. The airport’s map also lists an American Baggage Office on Terminal 5’s lower level, before security, with no hours.

For a broken connection, go to American. The airport’s terminal map shows American Rebooking Centers at Gates G4, G11, H16, K6 and K10 and American Customer Assistance desks near Gates H8 and K13, all past security. The map lists no hours for them.

Terminal 3 also has two airport information desks. They aren’t American’s desks. One is at Gate K2, staffed by Travelers Aid Chicago volunteers, and is open Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and weekends from 10 a.m. On weekends the airport’s accessibility page lists it until 7 p.m., while its Travelers Aid page says 8 p.m. The other is on the lower level near Door 3C and is open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day.

What only American can tell you

  • Your gate and concourse. The airport’s airlines page points you to each airline’s own website for the latest flight updates, so look to American.
  • Your minimum connection time. The airport’s connecting pages and terminal pages give none, so ask American or check your booking.
  • A bag on a domestic connection. The airport’s pages don’t say whether it’s checked through. Ask at check-in.
  • A connection on separate tickets. The airport’s connecting page doesn’t mention tickets.

Sources