ORDAirport Guide

Delta, Frontier, Sun Country and WestJet at O'Hare: Terminal 5

Delta, Frontier, Sun Country and WestJet check in at O'Hare Terminal 5. Delta Sky Club hours and access, and how to reach Terminal 5 from the others.

A short row of white self-service check-in kiosks seen from the side in the Departures hall of Terminal 5 at O'Hare.
Self-service kiosks, Terminal 5

All four airlines check in at Terminal 5, on the Departures and Check-In level. It’s the one terminal at O’Hare you can’t reach on foot from the others once you’re through security. From the other terminals, take the free train, or the Terminal Transfer Bus if you’re connecting.

Which lounge names each airline

Airline Lounge that names it
Delta Air Lines Delta Sky Club
Frontier Airlines None names it
Sun Country Airlines None names it
WestJet Delta Sky Club, for some customers

Delta also has self-service kiosks and curbside check-in. The directory names a check-in terminal for each airline but no flights, so confirm yours with the airline. Terminal 5 has Concourse M only, with Gates M1 to M40 behind Checkpoint 10, which is open 24 hours. Our Terminal 5 guide covers customs and the parking garage, and our Terminal 5 food guide lists where to eat before your gate.

Bags and security at Terminal 5

Delta’s O’Hare page says to drop a checked bag in the Terminal 5 lobby at least 45 minutes before your flight. It adds that you can use self-service bag drop. Ask Frontier, Sun Country and WestJet for their own cutoffs.

Checkpoint 10 has a TSA PreCheck lane from 3:45 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and a CLEAR Plus lane Sunday to Friday from 4:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Saturday from 4:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Our PreCheck and CLEAR guide compares the lanes at all four terminals.

The Delta Sky Club: where it is and who gets in

The Delta Sky Club is past security on Concourse M and open Sunday to Friday from 4:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday from 4:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The airport’s lounge page puts it at Gate M13, and its terminal map puts it between Gates M11 and M14.

These groups get in:

Group Who
Delta Delta Sky Club members and Delta One customers
SkyTeam Premium cabin customers, and SkyTeam Elite Plus members who aren’t Delta Medallion Members, on a same-day international SkyTeam flight. Delta Diamond, Platinum and Gold Medallion members get in on a same-day international flight in Premium Select or Delta One
Cards Delta SkyMiles Reserve American Express card members, and American Express Platinum and Centurion card members
Partner airlines WestJet Business Class and WestJet Rewards Gold and Platinum members, plus LATAM Business Class and LATAM Pass Black Signature, Black and Platinum members

Delta’s access page sets a 3-hour window. Enter within 3 hours of your scheduled departure, with a same-day boarding pass. Delta 360 Members, Centurion Card members and Lifetime Sky Club Members are exempt from it.

Delta Main Basic tickets aren’t admitted, and Reserve, Platinum Card and Centurion members on Main Basic fares are refused too. Delta has also set a cutoff travel date after which Comfort Basic, First Basic, Premium Select Basic and Basic Business tickets (or similar partner tickets) are refused as well, unless the traveler has a qualifying method of access. Ask Delta which date applies to your trip.

Guests and card visits depend on the way in:

Way in Guests and visits
Executive membership Two guests or immediate family (spouse or domestic partner and children under 21) free. Two more guests cost $50 or 5,000 miles each per visit
Individual membership Two guests or immediate family at $50 or 5,000 miles each per visit
Delta SkyMiles Reserve card 15 visits each Medallion Year. Two guests or immediate family at $50 each per visit, and Basic Reserve members also get 4 One-Time Guest Passes a year, up to 2 per visit
American Express Platinum card 10 visits each Medallion Year, none of which can cover a guest. Two guests or immediate family at $50 each per visit
Centurion card Two guests or immediate family at $50 each
Delta One or SkyTeam premium cabin No guests
Medallion member on an international trip in Premium Select or Delta One One guest, who must also be in Premium Select or Delta One
SkyTeam Elite Plus member on an international SkyTeam flight One guest, who must also be on a SkyTeam flight

Once Reserve or Platinum visits are used up, Delta sells more at $50 a person. Delta’s access page says it no longer sells Single Visit Passes. A pass you already hold works through the expiration date printed on it, with same-day travel on Delta or a partner airline. Access can be limited by capacity. Our Terminal 5 lounges guide compares it with the Air France and LOT lounges.

Inside the Club

Delta’s news page on the Club lists two buffets with charcuterie, seasonal salads, sandwiches, hot entrees and vegetarian dishes. It also lists a full-service bar, a wine bar, four showers, sound booths for quiet work and a family room for nursing mothers. On select flights you can board straight from the Club, through boarding bridges that connect to it.

WestJet customers

WestJet Business Class passengers get in with a same-day boarding pass for international travel, or for a connection to or from an international flight operated by Delta or WestJet. They can’t bring a guest. WestJet Rewards Gold and Platinum members get in with a same-day boarding pass for a flight between the United States and Canada operated by Delta or WestJet, and they can bring one guest who stays with them. American Express Platinum and Centurion card members also qualify on a Delta-marketed flight operated by WestJet, which carries a ticket number starting with 006.

Frontier and Sun Country customers

No lounge page names Frontier or Sun Country. A Priority Pass membership works at two Concourse M lounges. The Wingtips Lounge is near Gate M19, open daily 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., and takes Priority Pass up to 3 hours before departure. The Air France Lounge is near Gate M17, open daily 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., and takes Priority Pass members too, though not between noon and 5 p.m.

The Swissport Lounge used to take Priority Pass. Priority Pass lists it as permanently closed, even though the airport’s lounge page still lists it.

Reaching Terminal 5 from Terminals 1, 2 and 3

Way When Who can use it
Airport Transit System 24 hours a day, every 3 to 5 minutes at peak times Anyone, free
Terminal Transfer Bus 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., every 15 minutes Connecting passengers with a boarding pass for a same-day Terminal 5 departure

The bus leaves Terminal 1 from Gate C18B and Terminal 3 from Gates G17 and K20, and it arrives at Gate M13. Outside its hours, a connection to Terminal 5 means leaving security, riding the train and clearing a checkpoint again. The train takes about 10 minutes end to end from Terminal 1, and our terminal train guide explains where a ride ends. If you’re switching from United or American, the changing to Delta guide gives the bus and train route for each pair of terminals.

Flights from abroad clear customs at Terminal 5

Terminal 5 is where flights from abroad clear U.S. customs, according to the airport’s International Traveler page. Passengers checked through to a connecting flight, Delta’s included, drop bags with an airline attendant at the recheck counters directly outside the customs area. A Delta passenger who isn’t checked through takes bags out of Terminal 5 and rechecks them with Delta. The airport names the immediate recheck for United and American connections only. Delta’s baggage service office is on the Terminal 5 Arrivals and Baggage Claim level.

The airport’s page names Canada among the places where passengers clear customs before they leave. Those passengers may go straight to the domestic baggage claim in Terminal 5, or may arrive in Terminals 1, 2 or 3. The page doesn’t say which airlines’ flights arrive where, so a WestJet passenger should ask the airline whether the departure airport is one of those. Our Terminal 5 arrivals guide has the passport lines, bag claim and customs.

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