ORDAirport Guide

Wheelchair assistance at O'Hare: how to arrange it

Airlines provide O'Hare's wheelchair assistance. Who to tell and when, the TSA Cares number, the ADA coordinator and rides to the curb.

The white truss roof, skylights and hanging flags of the Terminal 5 hall at O'Hare.
Check-in hall, Terminal 5

Each airline offers wheelchair assistance at O’Hare, and the airport says the service can help you travel to or transfer between gates. Ask your airline to add it to your reservation before you travel.

The steps, in the order they happen

  1. Tell your airline before you travel. The airport says every ADA-related request, including wheelchair assistance, medical needs and service animals, goes to the airline directly. Our airlines page shows which terminal yours uses.
  2. Find airline staff when you arrive. The service runs from the curb to the ticket counters and the gates, in all four terminals. Terminals 1, 2 and 3 have airline staff in the ticketing areas. Some airlines also work the curb, so ask yours. In Terminal 5, go to your airline’s own ticketing counter.
  3. Plan the security screening separately. The airport sends security screening accommodations to TSA Cares, whose number is in the table below.
  4. Ride the Airport Transit System between terminals. The airport says the platforms and cars are ADA compliant. It notes the new cars have no marked wheelchair positions.

Who to call for what

Contact What it covers Number and hours
Your airline Wheelchair assistance and the other requests in step 1 Contact the airline directly before you travel
TSA Cares Help with security screening (855) 787-2227, weekdays 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern, weekends and holidays 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern
O’Hare’s ADA coordinator Comments and complaints about airport facilities and services (773) 894-3728, Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central, except city holidays
Travelers Aid Chicago Written directions and extra help, but not wheelchair service (773) 894-2427, Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., weekends 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The airport’s accessibility page says every airline must have a Complaint Resolution Official available in person or by phone during operating hours. Ask for that person when an airline doesn’t resolve a disability issue.

At the checkpoint: TSA Cares

TSA Cares covers the screening itself. Call at least 72 hours before you fly, or use TSA’s online form. Ask for a Passenger Support Specialist, a TSA officer trained to help passengers with disabilities or medical conditions.

TSA says the program provides no expedited screening, so the specialist doesn’t skip screening or shorten the wait. TSA lists medically necessary liquids over 3.4 ounces, a service animal and difficulty following instructions among the reasons to ask. At the airport you can also ask any TSA officer or supervisor for one on the spot. Checkpoint hours are on our security page.

Getting to the curb

How you arrive What the airport says
Taxi leaving O’Hare Ask the cab starters at the taxi lines outside baggage claim, lower level, for an accessible cab. Pre-arranged taxis can’t use the starter line.
Taxi to O’Hare Call the city’s accessible taxi dispatcher at (888) 928-2227. Those cabs must start in Chicago.
Rideshare Turn on Access Mode in Lyft or pick UberWAV. Pickup is the lower level of every terminal and the Kiss ‘n’ Fly at the Multi-Modal Facility.
CTA Blue Line The O’Hare station has an elevator to the platform, and CTA staff can fit a gap filler board on request.

Our taxi page and rideshare page show where each one picks up. If you’re driving a van, the airport’s accessible parking list gives the Main Garage a 6 foot 6 inch height limit, while Lots D, G and H list none. The shuttle buses from the Airport Transit System to the remote lots kneel and carry two wheelchairs each.

Help inside the terminals

Airport information desks sit in baggage claim and past security in each terminal. Staff there can connect a Deaf or hard of hearing traveler to a live ASL interpreter by video. They also hand out Hidden Disabilities Sunflower lanyards and sensory bags.

Self-service repair stations at baggage claim have a wheelchair charging unit. The Companion Plus Restroom in Terminal 2 is across from the Family Lounge. It has a powered ceiling lift to an adult-sized changing table rated to 330 pounds, and a roll-in shower. Both are on our accessibility services page.

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