---
title: "How early to get to O'Hare for a domestic flight: checkpoint"
description: "O'Hare publishes no arrive-by time for domestic flights, only checkpoint hours. Terminal 5's Checkpoint 10 never closes, and the rest close by 11 p.m."
url: "https://ordairportguide.com/guides/how-early-should-you-get-ohare-domestic-flight/"
updated: "2026-10-31"
airport: "ORD"
type: "guide"
---

> Independent guide, not the official ORD website. All pages: https://ordairportguide.com/llms.txt

# How early should you get to O'Hare for a domestic flight?

O'Hare publishes no arrive-by time for domestic flights, only checkpoint hours. Terminal 5's Checkpoint 10 never closes, and the rest close by 11 p.m.

Updated October 31, 2026

![The dark ceiling with long strip lights above the American Airlines check-in counters and queue lanes in the Terminal 3 hall at O'Hare.](https://ordairportguide.com/images/ord/t3-checkpoint-7a-entrance-v8.webp)

Check-in hall, Terminal 3

The airport publishes no arrive-by time for a [domestic flight](https://ordairportguide.com/flights/), so the hours that matter are the [checkpoints’](https://ordairportguide.com/security/) own. Each one opens and closes on its own schedule, and Terminal 5’s Checkpoint 10 never closes. How long before departure to arrive is your airline’s call.

## Which checkpoints are open, and when?

The airport’s TSA page says the checkpoints are generally open as listed, and that day-to-day airport activity can affect the hours. It recommends checking with your air carrier about operations on the date of your flight.

| Terminal | Checkpoint | Opens | Closes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Terminal 1 | Checkpoint 1 | 3:30 a.m. | 11 p.m. |
| Terminal 1 | Checkpoint 2 | 4 a.m. | 8:30 p.m. |
| Terminal 1 | Checkpoint 3 | 3:45 a.m. | 8 p.m. |
| Terminal 2 | Checkpoint 5 | 3:15 a.m. | 11 p.m. |
| Terminal 3 | Checkpoint 6 | 3:45 a.m. | 8 p.m. |
| Terminal 3 | Checkpoint 7 | 3:30 a.m. | 8 p.m. |
| Terminal 3 | Checkpoint 7A | 3:30 a.m. | 10:30 p.m. |
| Terminal 3 | Checkpoint 8 | 4 a.m. | 8:30 p.m. |
| Terminal 5 | Checkpoint 10 | Open 24 hours | Open 24 hours |

Our [PreCheck and CLEAR guide](https://ordairportguide.com/guides/tsa-precheck-clear-at-ohare-which-lanes-when/) has the lane hours.

## Why the checkpoint you pick matters

A terminal’s closing time is really its last checkpoint’s. Terminal 1’s three checkpoints close at three different times, and past 8:30 p.m. only Checkpoint 1 is listed open there. In Terminal 3, Checkpoint 7A is listed open until 10:30 p.m. The airport’s table also gives Checkpoint 7 a PreCheck lane from 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., after the checkpoint’s own 8 p.m. close.

Any checkpoint in a terminal reaches every concourse in it. Our [Terminal 1](https://ordairportguide.com/terminals/terminal-1/) page sends Concourses B and C through Checkpoint 1, 2 or 3. Our [Terminal 3](https://ordairportguide.com/terminals/terminal-3/) page sends Concourses G, H, K and L through Checkpoint 6, 7, 7A or 8. So in the evening, choose a checkpoint that is still open, even if it isn’t the nearest to your gate. Terminal 2 and Terminal 5 list one checkpoint each, so there the only question is the hour.

Before any of that, you need the right terminal. Our [airlines pages](https://ordairportguide.com/airlines/) give each carrier’s terminal and check-in location, and our [terminals pages](https://ordairportguide.com/terminals/) show the concourses behind each checkpoint.

## What the airport doesn’t say

The airport’s TSA page gives no wait times. TSA’s own PreCheck page says about 99% of passengers wait less than 10 minutes, a figure it gives for PreCheck lanes across the U.S. and not for O’Hare. Your airline’s deadlines for check-in and bag drop aren’t in the airport’s pages either. Your airline’s page or app for your flight has them.

On what slows a line, the airport names two causes: a prohibited item in a bag, and liquids over the limit. Under its 3-1-1 liquids rule, liquids, gels, aerosols, creams and pastes must be 3.4 ounces or less, with all bottles in one quart-size plastic bag, placed in a bin for screening.

## Sources

- Our pages: [Security checkpoints](https://ordairportguide.com/security/), [PreCheck and CLEAR guide](https://ordairportguide.com/guides/tsa-precheck-clear-at-ohare-which-lanes-when/), [Terminal 1](https://ordairportguide.com/terminals/terminal-1/), [Terminal 3](https://ordairportguide.com/terminals/terminal-3/), [Terminals](https://ordairportguide.com/terminals/), [Airlines](https://ordairportguide.com/airlines/), [Flights](https://ordairportguide.com/flights/)
- Chicago Department of Aviation: TSA Information page (Checkpoint Hours, Travel Tips)
- Transportation Security Administration: TSA PreCheck page