ORD layover - What to do?

CJones

CJones

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I'll be flying commercial to ATL at the end of this week. I'll have a 2-hour layover at ORD going and coming.

Is there anything interesting to do at ORD in that amount of time? Any decent restaurants worth checking out or anything else worth doing at ORD to kill the time?

I've only flown commercial once since getting my PP certificate almost 10 years ago, so my terminal ranger skills are pretty weak. ;)
 
CJones said:
I'll be flying commercial to ATL at the end of this week. I'll have a 2-hour layover at ORD going and coming.

Is there anything interesting to do at ORD in that amount of time? Any decent restaurants worth checking out or anything else worth doing at ORD to kill the time?

I've only flown commercial once since getting my PP certificate almost 10 years ago, so my terminal ranger skills are pretty weak. ;)
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Terminal 2 has the Butch O'Hare display but it is outside of security. The restaurants are nothing to worry about. Plus 2 hours at ORD is about how long it will take you to get from your arrival gate to your departure gate ;)

If you do leave security, in the basement tunnel under the hotel there is a neat little gift shop with all kinds of airplane models, pins, patches, clothes, etc.
 
Clearly you haven't flown through ORD in a long time!

Let's see - one hour eaten up by arrival delay. Another 30 minutes to hit the rest room, buy some semi-decent (read: Not provided by the airline) food and get to your departure gate - if it is close by. More time if not. So - your two hours is just about right for the transfer. Oh, then your departure equipment will be late inbound, so you have to sit there in the gate area because you don't really believe all the pa announcements about when the plane will arrive and you can board. Then the 30 minute cattle drive to get all the passengers in, all their worldly possessions stuffed into the overheads, and seated.

I've played the ORD connection game way too many times. I wish you luck! Report back - let's see how it goes!

-Skip
 
No. There's absolutely nothing to do at ORD. I guess you could laugh at the O'Hare display that claims that ORD is "the world's busiest airport" and be thankful that you're not living in a town full of political idiots and wannabes :p

If you need to waste some time, concourse B is way better than C. You can get there via that strange tunnel from C.

Might also be a good idea to buy a Boingo one day pass so that you can use the wireless....
 
2 hours.... not really enough time to do anything. I wouldn't venture outside security - there are times it can take that long to get back in.

If you're flying AA and have a Platinum AmEx, use the lounge if you have time. Otherwise find a quiet hole and take a wireless internet connection.
 
Whatever you do, don't spend any money there; sales tax revenue to the City of Chicago is not an obligation.
 
The best thing to do at ORD is get to your departure gate and make sure it doesn't change on you. The second best thing to do is leave. :yesnod:
 
You're assuming you'll actually have 2 hours because your inbound flight isn't late. The good news is that Chicago is usually the cause of lateness and the departure is often delayed as well.

Also NCPilot's advice is good...they do change gates as operations require with little notice. Check the departure board like a Chicago person votes- "early and often"
 
ORD is a heckhole. Everything is too small, too loud, and too far behind schedule.

Definitely check out the Butch O'hare F4F display. The one I'm thinking of is between the big B terminal and the E and F terminals, inside of security. A quick glance at a Pratt and Whitney R1830 is always worth the trouble.

Other than that, just try to avoid the temptation to gouge your eyeballs out with a spoon.

I hate everything about that place. As a 100000 mile per year commercial traveler, I'll say I've always avoided flying the friendly skies of United specifically because of O'hare airport.

m
 
Greg Bockelman said:
I guess it is bash O'Hare day.
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Yes, because O'Hare is horrible.

Hey, United's even got 2 RCCs in concourse B. They're equally terrible (well, maybe not as bad as the RCC in Frankfurt that is now thankfully closed). Also, concourse E/F make you feel like you're stuck in some 1960s train terminal with way too many people.....

I have yet to find ONE place with good coffee at ORD. The Starbucks there seem to be especially bad.
 
Yeah- but I go through Frankfurt maybe every other year. I put up with KORD every other month! London Heathrow is also up there on my list too.
 
smigaldi said:
Every day is bash KORD day! :D

When it comes to the uber big airports, KORD is not the worst. That award has to go to Frankfurt! Big, confusing, random and almost nonsensical security checkpoints, over crowded, limited info screens, etc.
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The award goes to CDG. With the added feature of rude people.
 
Wow.. Now I'm REALLY looking forward to being reintroduced to commercial airline travel! ;)

I guess I'll just use my crackberry to kill time between flights if I can't find the F4F display.

Thanks for the heads-up!
 
smigaldi said:
Every day is bash KORD day! :D

When it comes to the uber big airports, KORD is not the worst. That award has to go to Frankfurt! Big, confusing, random and almost nonsensical security checkpoints, over crowded, limited info screens, etc.
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No way. FRA is pretty nice. Very, very clean, good signage (compared to ORD), somewhat friendly and competent security, and, of course, the LH First Class lounge. If you haven't been, you should go - private limo service to your terminal.

I think Paris is indeed the worst. Yuck.
 
NC Pilot said:
The best thing to do at ORD is get to your departure gate and make sure it doesn't change on you. The second best thing to do is leave. :yesnod:
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Hey Mark, long time no see! Glad to see you back here. Stick around! :yes:

OBTW - What you said. :yes:

sba55 said:
Yes, because O'Hare is horrible.
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Yes, it is... But they have more outlets than DFW, and it seems like heaven compared to Heathrow. :vomit:
 
smigaldi said:
Plus 2 hours at ORD is about how long it will take you to get from your arrival gate to your departure gate ;)
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Agree. 2 hours is the minimum I'd give myself to lay-over at O'Hare. There are just so many ****ing delays now that often that isn't even enough. You'll probably have enough time to find your other flight and perhaps grab a bite to eat beside it.
 
wsuffa said:
The award goes to CDG. With the added feature of rude people.
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+1000. There really is no competition, CDG is the clear winner. Old, grimy, confusing, and yes, the French bureaucratic attitude laid over top.

As far as what to do in ORD, can't think of a thing! I will routinely avoid the place at all costs.

Gary
 
Greg Bockelman said:
I guess it is bash O'Hare day.
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From a passenger's perspective, O'Hare really is as bad as everyone describes. If O'Hare worked and felt like DEN, I'd be a frequent United customer.

Just for kicks, try standing anywhere in ORD and dialing into the United travel reservation line to find a way to get home following the cancellation of your scheduled flight. Their phone system uses speech recognition instead of real people, and the constant PA announcements and general noise of the place confuse the speech recognition system, making it totally unuseable. Now that's genious, and a top-notch customer experience.

M
 
Get a Crown and Coke and play on the CrackBerry. :)
 
CJones said:
Wow.. Now I'm REALLY looking forward to being reintroduced to commercial airline travel! ;)

I guess I'll just use my crackberry to kill time between flights if I can't find the F4F display.

Thanks for the heads-up!
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Its not hard. Front part of terminal 2.

What airline you dealing with?
 
So what's causing you to fly the human mailing tube? Job interview?
 
Greg Bockelman said:
Its not hard. Front part of terminal 2.

What airline you dealing with?
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Coming into ORD on US Airways (Operated by United Airlines) and going out on US Airways (Operated by United Express/Shuttle America). For both flights, it says to 'Check in with United Airlines'. According to the itinerary, it looks like my arrival and departure will be in Terminal 1, but I'm not sure how accurate that type of info would be on itinerary.
 
As Spike said, remember what city/airport you're in. Don't spend money if you can avoid it. Let Daley and the rest of the Chicagoans that continue to vote for him and support his attack on aviation suffer without a penny of your money.

FWIW, I've never had a problem in ORD as far as timliness, provided the weather is CAVU. As soon as it kind of starts to get skuzzy, fuggetaboutit.
 
sba55 said:
Yes, because O'Hare is horrible.

Hey, United's even got 2 RCCs in concourse B. They're equally terrible (well, maybe not as bad as the RCC in Frankfurt that is now thankfully closed). Also, concourse E/F make you feel like you're stuck in some 1960s train terminal with way too many people.....

I have yet to find ONE place with good coffee at ORD. The Starbucks there seem to be especially bad.
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NRT is much better for the RCC experience. Next week going to TPE and the follwing week coming home. I know that one all too well.

smigaldi said:
Every day is bash KORD day! :D

When it comes to the uber big airports, KORD is not the worst. That award has to go to Frankfurt! Big, confusing, random and almost nonsensical security checkpoints, over crowded, limited info screens, etc.
Click to expand...

Amen. Two connections through there last month. No hurry to repeat. And I was riding LH.

Cap'n Jack said:
Yeah- but I go through Frankfurt maybe every other year. I put up with KORD every other month! London Heathrow is also up there on my list too.
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LHR is better than FRA. Which isn't saying much for FRA.

wsuffa said:
The award goes to CDG. With the added feature of rude people.
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Not sure about that, but maybe that's because my last couple of trips dealing with CDG were ending or originating there. Haven't changed planes there. It isn't great, however.
 
Ghery said:
NRT is much better for the RCC experience. Next week going to TPE and the follwing week coming home. I know that one all too well.
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Well, I disagree with you on FRA, but I agree that NRT is better for just about anything!! Except actually getting out of the airport :)
 
Ghery said:
NRT is much better for the RCC experience. Next week going to TPE and the follwing week coming home. I know that one all too well.
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I am off to TPE next week as well. I am heading out on Monday, coming home of Friday. I am staying at the Grand Hyatt, where are you going to be?
 
or as funny as Chris Uhl trying to get in and out of a CJ.
 
smigaldi said:
I am off to TPE next week as well. I am heading out on Monday, coming home of Friday. I am staying at the Grand Hyatt, where are you going to be?
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Head out Tuesday (arrive Wednesday evening). Head home the following Thursday. Staying at the Sherwood. Convenient location to a number of familiar restaurants and our offices in Taipei.
 
tonycondon said:
LOL Chris on a regional jet.
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:yikes:

I had to ride an ERJ-145 from KMSN to KDFW in March. Window seat. My neck and back hurt because I had to hold my head to the left and keep my legs to the left as well (right side of the plane).

Chris: Take the aisle seat. The view wasn't worth it on a 2-hour leg. The short KDFW-KHOU leg was OK...

vontresc said:
That's almost as funny as Chris Uhl in the front seat of the Blanik...
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Really? In flight? He's got 3 or 4 inches on me at least and I can't get in the front very easily. :no:
 
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