ORDAirport Guide

O'Hare terminals and concourses explained

O'Hare's terminals are 1, 2, 3 and 5. B and C are in Terminal 1, E and F in 2, G, H, K and L in 3, M in 5. How to read a gate, plus the MMF and Hilton.

Neon tubes in red, orange and blue looping across the mirrored ceiling of O'Hare's Terminal 1 passage between Concourses B and C, above glowing coloured glass walls.
The neon light tunnel between Concourses B and C, Terminal 1, O'Hare

O’Hare has no Terminal 4, since its terminals are numbered 1, 2, 3 and 5. The concourse letters skip as well, running B, C, E, F, G, H, K, L and M. The letter on your gate tells you the terminal you’ll end up in, and the terminal tells you the checkpoint.

Which letter is in which terminal

Terminal Concourses Gates Checkpoints What’s there
Terminal 1 B, C B1 to B24, C1 to C31 1, 2, 3 The Polaris Lounge and the Terminal Transfer Bus stop at Gate C18B
Terminal 2 E, F E1 to E17, F1 to F28 5 The Family Lounge, the chapel and a USO
Terminal 3 G, H, K, L G1A to G21, H1A to H18, K1 to K20, L1A to L28 6, 7, 7A, 8 The Rotunda, the Yoga Room and American’s Flagship Lounge
Terminal 5 M M1 to M40 10 The arrival point for international flights that clear customs

Our terminals page covers the airport layout and every gate. Terminals 1, 2 and 3 have pedestrian connections to each other on the secure side, and Terminal 5 has none.

A gate number is a concourse letter plus a gate

Gate K4 is gate 4 on Concourse K in Terminal 3, and Gate F9 is gate 9 on Concourse F in Terminal 2.

Some numbers carry a second letter. The bus to Terminal 5 boards at Gate C18B, the Polaris Lounge is at Gate C18, and Gate L2A holds an Admirals Club. The airport’s connecting and transfer pages don’t explain the suffix, so read the whole gate as printed and don’t assume C18B is the same spot as C18.

In every terminal, each checkpoint leads to every concourse, so Checkpoint 2 in Terminal 1 reaches Concourse B and Concourse C alike. Our security page has each checkpoint’s hours.

Connecting between Terminals 1, 2 and 3 means following the overhead signs past security, with no second screening. Our walking guide covers the walk between the terminals after security. Terminal 5 is the exception, and our Terminal 5 train guide covers the train between Terminal 5 and Terminals 1, 2 and 3.

Your airline decides your terminal

Signs on the way in show which terminal each airline uses. United checks in at Terminals 1 and 2, American at Terminal 3 and Delta at Terminal 5. Our airlines page shows where each of the rest checks in and departs.

The Multi-Modal Facility is a separate building you reach by train

The Multi-Modal Facility, or MMF, stands apart from the terminals, and the Airport Transit System is how you reach it from any of them. It holds:

The airport’s information desk near Door 4 is staffed 24 hours, and there’s a Hudson shop on Level 1. The ride from Terminal 1 takes about 10 minutes.

The Hilton is the one hotel inside the airport

The airport’s on-site hotel page puts the Hilton Chicago O’Hare Airport directly across from Terminals 1, 2 and 3. It’s the only hotel standing inside the airport boundary. Underground walkways join it to the three domestic terminals, so you can reach a room without going outside. From Terminal 5, you ride the Airport Transit System first. An indoor walkway also runs on to the CTA Blue Line.

The hotel has three places to eat:

Our Hilton guide has the walkway and the shops, and our hotels page lists the others near the airport.

Sources