How to Travel Between All Domestic Terminals at Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD)

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Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (more accurately known as just "O'Hare") tends to be rather large - serving many people each day. However, with this deep influx, some can't navigate the airport without losing their way. Whether it's through the deep chasm of the Rainbow Walkway of Terminal 1, or the main corridor connecting Terminal 1 to Terminals 2 and 3 (or the reverse), there are just some people who fear this airport quite a bit and are probably here to learn more about it in the steps below.

Steps

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  1. 1
    Learn its various problems. This is no such thing as terminals containing A and D gates, and that there is no terminal 4 and except for a few airlines. Most International departures take off from the unconnected Terminal 5.
    • There is a connection using the ATS (airport monorail) and the rest of the airport, but you'd have to exit on the unticketed side first before entering the other buildings.
  2. 2
    Learn the setup of this airport. O'Hare international airport is shaped like a pentagram with two open sides.
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Part 1
Part 1 of 4:

Moving Between Buildings in Terminal 1

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  1. 1
    Learn about Terminal 1. Terminal 1 is comprised mainly of two connected buildings - mainly for United Airline's corporate hub here. You'll find many different gates and gate names within each building. Terminal 1 is shaped like a giant H when factoring in the underground tunnel.
  2. 2
    Learn about the gates in the building to the northwestern-most side. The gates in the building to the northwest are labeled starting at C. Here you'll find gates along both sides of the building, including several along the curved edges. There are many different gates between C1 and C 31 without a C12, C13, or C14 designation.
  3. 3
    Recognize that there is no exterior walkway that takes you between the two buildings. (You'll find a workaround in the next step.)
  4. 4
    Learn about the Rainbow Walkway. Terminal 1 has one of the most picturesque bridges between their buildings. However, you'll have to take escalators to get you down to there to cross between the two terminal buildings through a mile-long "bridge" that most people consider picture and video-worthy (due to its rainbow-lights of Neon tubes which seem to waver). From the C gates, you'll find it near the United Customer Service Center across from the C18 and C18A gates. From the B gates (in the other building, described momentarily), you'll find this between the B8 and B9 gates across from Starbucks and Oakley.
    • Many people have traveled this, and some even stopped to submit this journey to YouTube. If you want to see this, type "rainbow walkway at ORD," and you'll pull up several from different people at different times.
  5. 5
    Learn about the B gates here. Much like the C gates, the B gates also have a similar setup - with just the gates on the westernmost side being occupied but extending north around a curve and occupying gates B1-B24, with several gates having sub-gates for an "A" split.
  6. 6
    Do your research on the B19-B24 gates. Although you'll have to take a right at the corner near the Tuscany Cafe, then a left near the Galileo area, it then curves around. Gates B22-B24 extends each a little further at the eastern-most edge down the same walkway. Once you get past B18 and B19, the terminal curves to include gates facing North, but the B21 through B24 gates face east.
  7. 7
    Learn who's departures exist at Terminal 1. Although the big thing at Terminal 1 is United and United Express, there are also ANA and Lufthansa departures. [1]
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Part 2
Part 2 of 4:

Moving Between Terminal 1 and 2 or 3

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  1. 1
    Utilize the walkway between terminals 1 and the beginning of the E gates of terminal 2. If your connector flight isn't in this terminal, there is a walking path just past the exit to Terminal 1 if you turn in the opposite direction. Follow the signage towards the Baggage Claim, but just before you pass through the security exit, you must take a right and follow signs towards Terminal 2. There are no other gates in the tiny area which curve into Terminal 2 starting at a few gates in E.
  2. 2
    Learn about the tiny walkway that curves slightly southeast.
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Part 3
Part 3 of 4:

Moving Within Terminal 2

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  1. 1
    Get into the E and F gates of terminal 2. To get to the other gates, you must get through the E and F gates "building" on the walkway. Although there are three gates along the main corridor (E1 followed by F3 and F1), there is another walkway with more gates between the E1 and F3/F1 (all face southwest) gates that will take you to more E and F gates.
  2. 2
    Learn about the makeup of the long hallway that houses the E and F gates. At first, this hallway connects terminals on the one side with gates starting with E, and the other side starts gate letters with F.
    • Learn about the divergence point. Near a McDonalds, the two lettered gates split and create two separate sets of gates housed with a short walking path between the two near a Delta Sky Club and United Club entrance.
      • Starting at E4, gates are numbered in a straight path terminating towards the one end at E16 (in even-numbered intervals), then coming up the other side with E17 following back towards the Sky Club near E7 in odd-numbered intervals.
    • Going down the F gated side, at first you'll see F4 followed by F5 and F6, but then at the split, it begins with F7 and F9 and all the odd-numbered intervals on the eastern side until you reach F27. At the endpoint, you'll see gates F28 and F26 and F24, but then on the opposite side, you'll see the even numbers heading back towards F10 in even-numbered intervals, stopping gates on that side as you reach the United Club.
  3. 3
    Learn about the squiggle you'll need to do to get into each terminal. Terminal 2 is rectangular, with the walkway corridor edging more southward and around a centrally-placed atrium/foyer near the Security Checkpoint. It would be best if you turned right to enter terminal 2 (from the walkway from Terminal 1), walk past the long corridor up and towards the Rotunda. The Rotunda is part of Terminal 3 but will get you back on track if you need to ask an airport employee for help navigating to your destination.
    • This can be the trickiest part of this terminal - getting into Terminal 3 without going out the exit. The walkway corridor is super-close to the exit from Terminal 2, and that you'll need to follow instructions carefully when things get trickier.
  4. 4
    Learn who's departures exist at Terminal 2. Inside Terminal 2, you'll find departures for both Delta, JetBlue, Alaskan Airlines and Air Canada. [2]
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Part 4
Part 4 of 4:

Moving Within Terminal 3

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  1. 1
    Transfer into Terminal 3, if necessary - along the same corridor.
  2. 2
    Learn about the Rotunda - as you'll be passing through it, either way, you choose to walk. Not only is it round, you'll circle through and around the USO Mothers Room and Yoga Room, but there's also an animal Relief area and Farmer's Market and food court (Manchu Wok/Subway/Uno Express/TCBY/Vienna Dogs/Great American Bagel Bakery) there.
    • For a more cafe-like feel, the Rotunda also contains a Cubs Bar and Grill and Brioche Doree.
  3. 3
    Take a walk down the G gates. The G gates are just one long strip (even-numbered gates facing west and odd-numbered facing east, containing gates G20 and G21 at the southern-most end of the building.
    • This portion of Terminal 3 contains many different A and B sub-gate designated gates, so beware.
  4. 4
    Keep walking on the corridor walkway, if necessary. However, you'll see the TSA area near the H gates (with a few H gates to the direct right on the corridor (H1A, H1B, H2) if you squiggle around and past the Brookstone, you'll find the corridor for the remainder of the H gates and K gates.
    • H and K have a similar setup to those expressed in Terminal 2, where the one terminal "forks" at a point. The corridor now starts to point northward.
  5. 5
    Learn about the H gates. H gates line the edge of the one building's south-west side starting at H3A and H3B, to a point where it forks starting at H4 and running consecutively down the west edge till H6, then the gates split with Even numbers on the one side (to H16 - without using A and B sub-gate letterings), extending to H18 at the end, then coming up the other side of the building in odd numbers starting at H15&H17 and running up to the split-point at H9.
  6. 6
    Learn about the K gates. H and K share a terminal building. H gets one side of the Y-shaped building, while the other side is K gates. (This makes this building confusing for some, thinking that H and K get different buildings.) Although K1 is along the main corridor walkway nearest the terminal exit, the next four gates along the K gated sides run consecutively named (K2-K5), to which they then split. (There is no K7, yet numbering can be confusing running along the northeastern-pointing side of the terminal's Y shape. You'll have K9, then K15, and K15, but you'll see K19, K20, K18, and K16 all in the one corner at the farthest end of this building. (At the edge, you'll see that K further splits and rounds to the K16, K18 aide just near the Starbucks, Brioche Doree, BJ's Market and Bakery and Facades Bar.)
    • Find a gate K12 at the southwestern-most edge, then running along the walking path inside the K gates, you'll find K10, K8, and K6.
  7. 7
    Squiggle down past the K1 gate, towards the L gates. You'll need to avoid the last Terminal 3 entrance and just slightly to the last exit's right within the terminal (there are five entrances in terminal 3).
  8. 8
    Learn about the L gates. The L gates actually take up two separate buildings/areas, but each has its pros and cons. The first set of L gates you'll encounter directly on the corridor walkway are generally labeled with A, B, and/or C designations facing south (even-numbered) from L2A/L2B/L2C to L10A/L10B/L10C, with odd-numbers on the opposite side from L1-L9 without the extra sub-gate information. However, if you continue and head towards the additions, just past the last exit in the corner of the terminal, you'll spot signage to get you to the other portion of the terminal, which is in a brand new building just a teensy bit from the main corridor's walkway.
    • Between the two gates, there are no gates labeled L11-L19!
  9. 9
    Learn about the overflow of the L gates- for which you'll need to take the additional new walkway to get there. If needed, following an airport employees' advice, find the L20-L24 gates just past the L1-L10(and sub-gates). All gates are facing south on one side as of right now, but because of other buildings in the way, there probably won't be any gates on the other side any time soon. On the opposite side, there are sparing choices of dining (Burger Federation and Starbucks.
    • You will also find a connecting shuttle back to terminal 1 at the farthest end of this gate, with no gates to the other terminals from here.
  10. 10
    Learn who's departures exist at Terminal 3. Terminal 3's departures include those for American and American Eagle, AirChoice One, Cape Air, Iberia, Japan Airlines and Spirit Airlines. [3]
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      Tips

      • According to the FAA, O'Hare is the 3rd-busiest airport in the United States. [4]
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      • At O'Hare International Airport, not only will you find the corporate hub for United Airlines, but you'll also find a large regional hub for American Airlines. [5]
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      • O'Hare International Airport isn't the only airport in Chicago. Chicago also has Chicago Midway (MDW) that exists, but due to average traffic - it may take between one to two hours to get there from O'Hare. [6]
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.flychicago.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/O'Hare/Map/T1.pdf
      2. ↑ https://www.flychicago.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/O%27Hare/Map/T2.pdf
      3. ↑ https://www.flychicago.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/O%27Hare/Map/T3.pdf
      4. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_busiest_airports_in_the_United_States
      5. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O%27Hare_International_Airport
      6. ↑ https://www.flychicago.com/ohare/tofrom/midway/pages/default.aspx
      7. ↑ https://www.flychicago.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/O%27Hare/Map/T5.pdf

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