ORDAirport Guide

A two-hour layover at O'Hare: what you can do

Two hours at O'Hare: Terminals 1, 2 and 3 connect behind security, Terminal 5 needs a bus or train. Where to eat near your gate, by concourse.

Bar stools and a small table on the Terminal 2 concourse at O'Hare, outside an open bar.
Concourse F near Gate F15, Terminal 2

If both flights leave from Terminals 1, 2 or 3, you never leave security. Follow the overhead signs between terminals and spend the rest of the two hours where you like. If either flight uses Terminal 5, the plan changes. That terminal has no walkway on the secure side, so you ride the Terminal Transfer Bus, or you take the train and clear TSA again.

These plans are for a domestic arrival. The international case is under Terminal 5 below, and our connecting flights page lists the Airport Transit System’s hops between terminals and the Terminal Transfer Bus’s two routes.

Read your two gate letters first

The first letter of a gate tells you the terminal. Check both gates before you plan anything.

Gate letters Terminal Airlines the airport lists there
B, C Terminal 1 United, Lufthansa, All Nippon Airways
E, F Terminal 2 United (on the airport’s map only), Alaska, JetBlue, Air Canada, Denver Air Connection, Southern Airways Express
G, H, K, L Terminal 3 American, British Airways, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Aer Lingus, Contour
M Terminal 5 Delta, Frontier, Sun Country, Air France, KLM, Emirates and others

The airport’s airline directory lists United at Terminals 1 and 5, and its map adds Terminal 2, so a United connection can still cross terminals. A United-to-American connection runs from Terminal 1 or 2 to Terminal 3 and stays behind security the whole way. Our terminals page lists each concourse and its gate range.

Inside Terminals 1, 2 and 3: find the gate, then eat

You don’t need the Airport Transit System (ATS), the airport’s train.

The airport’s connecting and transfer pages give no walking time for the route, so find your next gate before you eat and spend what’s left near it. For a domestic connection on two different carriers, the airport’s connecting page says to contact your airlines.

The CTA puts the Blue Line ride from O’Hare to downtown at 40 to 45 minutes, so a trip into the city doesn’t fit in two hours.

Where to eat by concourse

Every place below is past security. Our dining page lists the hours the airport prints for each one.

Concourse Places, with the gate each one is listed near
B, Terminal 1 Tortas Frontera by Rick Bayless (B10), Galileo Bar & Grill (B19), The Bronze Pizza (B7), Starbucks (B5, B9)
C, Terminal 1 America’s Dog (C17), Billy Goat Tavern and Grill (C19), Reggio’s Chicago Style Pizza (C19), Berghoff Cafe (C26)
E, Terminal 2 Summer House Santa Monica (E2), Stanley’s Blackhawks Kitchen & Tap (E5), Home Run Inn Pizza (E5)
F, Terminal 2 Skybridge Bar & Grill (F15), Chili’s (F9), McDonald’s (F7)
G, Terminal 3 Chicago Cubs Bar & Grill (G1), Subway (G1), Chili’s (G10), Reggio’s Chicago Style Pizza (G8)
H, Terminal 3 O’Briens Restaurant & Bar (H5), La Tapenade Mediterranean Café (H14), Rush Street Bar (H14)
K, Terminal 3 Tortas Frontera by Rick Bayless (K4), Burrito Beach (K4), The Bronze Tap (K4), Publican Tavern (K1)
L, Terminal 3 Burger Federation (L20), Gold Coast Dogs (L4), Goose Island Beer Company (L10)
M, Terminal 5 Publican Quality Bread (M5), Chick-fil-A (M10), The Dearborn (M17), Tortas Frontera by Rick Bayless (M18), Butcher & The Burger (M28), Metropolis Coffee Company (M30)

Tortas Frontera by Rick Bayless has a branch in Concourse B and another in Concourse K, so it sits on both sides of a United-to-American connection. See the Terminal 3 branch and the Terminal 1 branch.

Hours to know:

  • Most places close between 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
  • Starbucks at B5, B9, E2 and K4 and Dunkin’ at H5 are open 24 hours.
  • McDonald’s is open 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. in Concourses B, C, F, H, K and L.
  • In Terminal 5, Metropolis Coffee Company at M30 is open 4 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Chick-fil-A at M10 Monday to Saturday, 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

If your next flight leaves from Terminal 5, eat before you head for the bus. Concourse C has food at C17 through C19, around the Terminal 1 stop at Gate C18B. Concourse G has listed food only as far as G10, and Concourse K only as far as K18. The Terminal 3 bus stops are at G17 and K20, so eat before you walk toward them. If you’d rather eat once you arrive, Terminal 5 has food past security along Concourse M, from CHI Life Market at M4 to Metropolis Coffee Company at M30.

A lounge only helps if you can get in

The airport says club members get in, and travelers without a membership may buy day passes for most clubs. Its lounge page lists no price. Pick the club in the concourse of your next gate, so the lounge doesn’t add a second walk.

In Terminals 1 to 3, the airport lists United Clubs at B6, B18, C10, E7 and F9, and American Admirals Clubs at G8, L2A and H6/K6. The American Flagship Lounge is also at H6/K6, beside the Admirals Club. The United Polaris Lounge at C18 takes international first and business class only.

In Terminal 5, the lounges are on Concourse M, past security.

  • Delta Sky Club: the airport lists it at Gate M13. It’s open Sunday to Friday 4:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday 4:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Delta no longer sells Sky Club Single Visit Passes, but the club accepts one you already hold.
  • Air France Lounge: Gate M17 on the airport’s list, open daily 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. It takes Priority Pass members, except between noon and 5 p.m.
  • Wingtips Lounge: open daily 9 a.m. to 10 p.m., near Gate M19 on the airport’s list. Priority Pass members get in up to 3 hours before departure.
  • Swissport Lounge: Priority Pass lists it as permanently closed, and the airport’s lounge page still lists it. Don’t plan a layover around it.
  • LOT Business Lounge: the airport lists it at Gate M18 and publishes no hours for it.

Terminal 5 changes the math

  • Terminal Transfer Bus. It runs every 15 minutes between 11:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. and keeps you behind security. It’s for connecting passengers only, and you need a boarding pass for a same-day flight from the terminal you’re riding to. Stops are Gate C18B in Terminal 1, Gates G17 and K20 in Terminal 3, and Gate M13 in Terminal 5.
  • ATS. It’s free and runs 24 hours a day, every 3 to 5 minutes at peak hours. You leave security, ride, and clear a TSA checkpoint at the other end. The airport gives about 10 minutes for the whole line, Terminal 1 to the Multi-Modal Facility. Its ATS page gives no time for a single hop such as Terminal 3 to Terminal 5.

The bus has no Terminal 2 stop. From a Terminal 2 gate, walk the secure side to Terminal 1 or 3 first.

Outside the bus hours, the train is the only route. Checkpoint 10 in Terminal 5 lists 24 hours, but the latest closing time listed for any checkpoint in Terminals 1 to 3 is 11 p.m. A late ride from Terminal 5 into Terminals 1, 2 and 3 can end at a closed checkpoint. Our security page lists every checkpoint and its hours.

An international arrival is processed in Terminal 5. The airport says you must clear U.S. Customs and Border Protection and claim all checked bags first, unless you arrive from a preclearance airport. You can then recheck bags before screening again, and the airport’s connecting page says you can take the free, 24-hour ATS to Terminals 1, 2 or 3. The airport’s connecting page puts no times on those steps, so ask your airline whether two hours is enough for yours.

Quick stops that cost little time

  • Wi-Fi. It’s free and unlimited in all four terminals. Join Boingo Hotspot or _Free_ORD_Wi-Fi, open a browser on an unsecured web address and choose Watch Ad to Connect.
  • Power. Gate G17 has a seated power station, and it’s also the Terminal 3 bus stop. Gate M13 has one at the other end of the ride. Our charging page lists every station.
  • Yoga Room. It’s in Terminal 3, on the Mezzanine level of the Rotunda, past security. It’s open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Shoes come off at the door and food and drink stay outside.
  • Terminal Getaway Spa. The airport’s map lists one at Gate B12 in Terminal 1 and one at Gate H1 in Terminal 3, each open daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and describes nail services and massage at both.

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