ORDAirport Guide

Running late for your flight at O'Hare

O'Hare publishes no check-in or bag cutoff, only checkpoint hours, so your airline's rule decides. What to do at the curb, the checkpoint and the desk.

A steel queue post on the checkerboard floor of the Terminal 1 check-in hall at O'Hare.
United check-in, Terminal 1

O’Hare publishes no check-in or bag cutoff, so your airline’s rule decides whether you board. For screening, the only times it prints are the checkpoints’ opening and closing hours, and it tells you to check with your airline about operations on your flight’s date.

Check your airline’s terminal before you reach the curb

The airport says signs on the way into O’Hare show which terminal each airline uses. Our airlines page shows it before you get there. If you’re already at the wrong terminal, the free Airport Transit System links all four terminals 24 hours a day, with trains every 3 to 5 minutes at peak times.

Drop-off is at the upper-level Departures curb of any terminal. Waiting at the curb isn’t allowed and unattended vehicles are ticketed and towed, so a driver who leaves the car to walk you in risks a ticket and a tow.

The checkpoint lists hours, not wait times

Terminal 5’s Checkpoint 10 is the only one listed open 24 hours. The next latest are Terminal 1’s Checkpoint 1 and Terminal 2’s Checkpoint 5, which close at 11 p.m., and Terminal 3’s Checkpoint 7A, which closes at 10:30 p.m. Every other checkpoint closes between 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Our checkpoint guide lays out the choices in Terminals 1 and 3, and our security page lists every checkpoint’s hours.

TSA’s PreCheck page says about 99% of passengers wait less than 10 minutes in those lanes, and it adds that no individual is guaranteed expedited screening. Our PreCheck and CLEAR guide shows which checkpoints have a lane and when.

Have your ID ready. The airport’s TSA page says passengers without an acceptable ID, including a state license that isn’t REAL ID compliant, may verify their identity with TSA ConfirmID. TSA ConfirmID is fee-based.

What the airport can and can’t tell you about your flight

What the airport’s map does show includes curbside check-in and bag drops for some carriers:

Airline Where and what’s there
American Airlines Terminal 3, with separate international, Priority and Flagship counters and curbside check-in
Delta Air Lines Terminal 5, with self service kiosks and curbside check-in
United Airlines Check-in lobbies in Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. The Terminal 1 lobby has Premier Access and Economy bag drops and an agent assistance desk

The airport’s flight search, which filters by Terminal 1, 2, 3 or 5, says its terminal and gate data come from a third party and tells you to check directly with your carrier for the most up to date information. It also says to contact your airline to verify flight status. Our flights page doesn’t show live arrivals or departures, so use your airline’s app for today’s gate and times, or the airport’s own flight search.

If the flight leaves without you, the airport publishes no rebooking rules, so ask your airline to rebook you. Our canceled-flight guide covers the airline channels, the information desks and the hotel shuttles the airport lists.

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