O'Hare International Airport

O'Hare International Airport is located in Chicago, Illinois. The airport is 17 miles northwest of the Chicago Loop and is the home base or hub for United Airlines and a secondary hub for American Airlines. The airport is operated by the City of Chicago Department of Aviation. The location of the airport is ideal for those that are flying in and out of the windy city. Though there are other airports that serve Chicago such as Midway, O'Hare International Airport remains the most popular because it is located just outside of the Chicago Loop, making it easy to get to. The airport is so busy that in 2005 it was the world's busiest in the number of takeoffs and landings. Today, the airport is the nation's second busiest airport in terms of the traffic that it receives, and it is the world's second busiest as well. The airport saw more than 76 million people pass through its doors last year, and much of this has to do with the airport location as well as it being a pass through or connecting point for many travelers.

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While many people prefer O'Hare International Airport, others like Midway International Airport because it is even closer to the Loop and the one that serves most of the business and financial passengers. O'Hare Airport is the airport that many choose simply because of its proximity to the city.

In addition to O'Hare and Midway, there is a third airport that serves the city, Chicago/Rockford International Airport, but it is 60 miles from O'Hare Airport so the two do not compete for business. Among the three airports, all the residents of the greater Chicago area have relatively convenient access to airports to provide them with all their air transportation needs. Each airport offers something just a bit different and flight times and airlines vary from one to the other.

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Despite being located in one of the biggest cities in the nation, traveling to O'Hare International Airport couldn't be easier. There are many different transportation options for you to choose from. Many people simply travel via the Loop in their own vehicles to the airport, but if this is not convenient for you, there are some other options. First, there are airport shuttles. These shuttles travel from different areas of the city including Midway Airport. Continental Airport Express offers door to door service from most neighborhoods and this can be a really convenient way to travel. In addition, there is the Omega Airport Shuttle that travels from Hyde Park to O'Hare Airport.

If you need help getting around the airport itself, you can always take advantage of the Airport Transit System, also known as ATS. This is a rail system that operates 24 hours a day between the three domestic terminals, the international terminal, and long-term parking, as well as the Metra station and Pace Stop.

If you need to travel to the airport, one of the most economical ways to travel is with the bus systems. There are regional buses at O'Hare Airport, and these include Act II Transportation, Coach USA, PACE Bus, and more. You can learn more information about bus services from the services themselves as well as through the O'Hare International Airport website.

If you prefer, you can also cycle to the airport, which surprisingly, a lot of people do. If you need to travel from the airport, there are rental car agencies on site as well as taxi services, so there is no need to worry about how you will travel from the airport. Bus services travel to and from the airport, so this is also an option for incoming passengers.

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There are many airlines that fly into and out of the three terminals at O'Hare International Airport. Terminal one is also known as the United Airlines Terminal, and it is home to two different concourses. These concourses serve United Airlines flights as well as Nippon Airways, Lufthansa, United Express, Mesa Airlines, Shuttle America, SkyWest, and Trans States Airlines.

Terminal two also is home to two different concourses and has 33 separate gates. This terminal serves Air Canada, Air Canada Jazz, Continental Airlines, Continental Express, JetBlue, Northwest Airlines, United Airlines, US Airways, and United Express.

Terminal three provides service to 77 gates on four different concourses, and the airlines that fly into these gates include American Airlines and American Eagle, Alaska airlines, Delta Airlines, Spirit Airlines, and Iberia.

Terminal five serves all the international flights as well as the cargo flights that come in and out of the airport. Terminal four is where international passengers will check in and check all baggage, and then they will be taken to the international terminal.

Among all these terminals, the airlines are able to load passengers onto and off the planes with relative ease. Some of the terminals are busier than others, but generally speaking, each terminal has more than enough space to accommodate the more than 76 million passengers that the airport sees each year. O'Hare International Airport has a modernization plan that will make getting around the airport easier through the years.

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Most people want to make their reservations ahead of time, and you can do that directly through the airlines. Many people still choose to make all their reservations right at O'Hare International Airport, but if you would rather not hassle with this, you don't have to. Just about all the airlines today have online flight reservations, which will allow you to view all the flights on the days that you need to fly, and you can book those that best accommodate you. Making reservations online is really handy because there is no need to leave home; no need to deal with cranky agents; all you have to do is log on from the comfort of your own home and pay by credit card.

If you don't like to make reservations online, you don't have to. You can actually call the airline of your choice and make the reservations over the phone. When you do this, you'll also need to pay by credit card, but you can do so with a live agent who will walk you through the process of booking your flight so you are sure you are paying for the flight that you need. Booking flights today is easier than ever before, as there are many websites that will offer you great prices on your tickets and make planning all your transportation needs a cinch.

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To support all the traffic that comes into and out of O'Hare Airport, there are six different runways for landing and taking off. There are three pairs of parallel runways, and the largest is runway 14R-32L. Interestingly, five of the runways intersect with one another, and for this reason, the traffic controllers have to be aware of what is going on at all times. The intersecting runways can cause serious problems when weather is bad or when the airport is very busy. Controllers have to be diligent about waiting until a runway is free before they can tell a plane to use one of the five intersecting runways. If controllers are not careful, planes could come very close to one another and perhaps even collide. For this reason, there is a redevelopment plan in place that will eliminate this problem as there have been many near collisions in the recent past.

O'Hare International Airport originally had three runways when the airport was constructed in 1943. The other three runways were built in 1955, 1971, and 2003 as the airport grew. One runway, 18-36 was closed in 2003 as it was very short, and the airport decided that they no longer wanted to continue to certify it. Because of this closure the runway is now used as a taxiway for aircraft.

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Security at O'Hare International Airport is taken very seriously. Like all the airports in the United States, passengers must pass through a metal detector and have all their items processed by security. While many passengers consider this an inconvenience, it is for the safety of all the passengers.

At the time of this writing, O'Hare Airport does not allow any sort of weapons on the plane such as knives. Other items that are forbidden from passing security include lighters, pocketknives, and any container that contains more than an ounce of any liquid, unless it is medication that has a prescription label for the person carrying it, or it is baby formula for a baby that will be onboard the aircraft. If you have questions regarding security at O'Hare International Airport, you should be sure to call your airline directly or you can call O'Hare Airport and ask to be connected with a TSA agent that can give you all the specific security parameters for the date that you will be traveling.

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Unaccompanied minors are permitted to fly with most airlines, though you'll want to contact each airline independently to find out any extra charges that you may incur for children flying alone. When you are a parent or guardian of a child who is flying alone, you will need to come with them to the check-in desk for the airline that they are flying with. One adult will be permitted to check in with them and escort them through security and to the gate that they will be leaving from.

The parent or guardian will need to stay with their child until the child pre-boards the plane and should stay in the gate area until the plane has left the ground. The parent will need to stay in the gate area for this period of time in case something happens and the plane is not able to take off. Once the plane has departed, the parent or guardian can leave the building and the child will be met by the party that the parents have arranged for at the arrival city.

Most airlines only consider a child an unaccompanied minor up until the age of 12 or 13, and then they are no longer permitted to this type of boarding. In most circumstances, the parent or guardian will still be allowed to escort the child to the gate until the child reaches the age of 18; the only difference is that the child will board with the rest of the passengers instead of boarding early. The parent should still stay in the gate area until the plane has left the ground just to ensure that their child is safely on their way to their arrival city.

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If you arrive at O'Hare Airport early, or you have a long layover, you will be able to pass the time by shopping. There are many different opportunities for you to take advantage of including the Back Rub Hub, Brookstone, Chicago News and Gifts, Chicago History Museum Gift Shop, Childrens Museum, Duty Free Americas, Hudson Booksellers, Mindworks, Sunglass Hut and Wilson's Leather, as well as many other shops. There are also many dining opportunities that will allow you to pick something up on your way to the gate, or you can choose to sit down and enjoy dinner and a drink. O'Hare International Airport offers a little of everything, so you can pass the time and even have a bit of fun while you're at it!

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