ORDAirport Guide

Copa, Avianca and Arajet at O'Hare

Copa, Avianca and Arajet check in at O'Hare Terminal 5. Copa and Avianca are named at the Wingtips Lounge. What the airport lists for customs and bags.

A slanting white column rising into the dished ceiling of the main hall of Terminal 5 at O'Hare.
Terminal 5 main hall

Copa, Avianca and Arajet check in on the Departures and Check-In level of Terminal 5, and two of the three have a lounge that names them. Copa and Avianca are on the list for the Wingtips Lounge, near Gate M19 on Concourse M, while Arajet appears on no lounge listing.

Which lounge names each airline

Airline Lounge that names it
Copa Airlines Wingtips Lounge
Avianca Wingtips Lounge
Arajet None

The airport lists a terminal for each airline, not for each flight, so your airline has the last word on your terminal. Behind check-in, Concourse M is reached through Checkpoint 10, which is open 24 hours. Our A to Z airline guide has every other airline’s terminal.

Copa and Avianca are named at the Wingtips Lounge

The Wingtips Lounge is past security near Gate M19. It is open daily 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. The airport’s lounge page names Copa Airlines and Avianca among the airlines it takes, along with SkyTeam Elite Plus members. The airport’s page gives no fare rules, so ask Copa or Avianca whether your fare opens the door.

Priority Pass members get in up to 3 hours before departure, though the airport’s page doesn’t name Priority Pass for Wingtips. That matters most to Arajet customers, since no listing names their airline. The airport’s page also says travelers without a membership “may also purchase day passes for most of the clubs,” and it names no club and no price. Our lounge access guide has the prices that other lounges print, and the Swissport and Wingtips guide covers who can use Wingtips.

Priority Pass lists the Swissport Lounge near Gate M13 as permanently closed. Priority Pass members can use the Wingtips Lounge, or the Air France Lounge near Gate M17 outside noon to 5 p.m.

If you land here and connect on

Terminal 5 is where the airport’s International Traveler page sends international arrivals through immigration, baggage claim and customs. It doesn’t say which airlines land there. Even if you’re only passing through, the connecting page says you clear customs and claim your bags first.

Your situation What the airport says
Bags checked through to your final stop Drop them at the recheck counters directly outside the customs area
Not checked through, next flight on United or American Recheck with an airline employee right after customs
Not checked through, next flight on any other airline Take the bags out of Terminal 5 and recheck with that airline
Next flight in Terminal 1, 2 or 3 Ride the free Airport Transit System and clear TSA screening at that terminal

According to the International Traveler page, arrivals from preclearance airports can take the Terminal Transfer Bus instead of the train, without exiting security and getting rescreened. The connecting page says all connecting passengers must go through TSA screening. Pack liquids in checked bags first, the International Traveler page reminds you, and it says Duty Free purchases over 3.4 fluid ounces won’t be admitted at the checkpoint unless they’re in a secure, tamper-evident bag that can be screened. Our duty free guide lists the shops by terminal.

What to expect at customs

The page says it’s rare for the process to take more than two hours. Travelers from a country that requires a visa, and first-time ESTA travelers, wait in the immigration line. You must already be accepted into Global Entry or another Trusted Traveler Program to use its lines. Passengers from a number of international destinations, including several in Canada and Ireland, preclear in their departure city and may go straight to the domestic baggage claim. The page names no airports. Ask your airline whether your departure city is one of them. Our Terminal 5 arrivals guide covers customs and baggage in full, and our international connection guide gives the onward steps in order.

Sources