Returning home to Ottawa Ontario from a 70.3 in Spain this May, my partner and I have a 95 minute window to get from Terminal 5 to Terminal 2 at OHare airport. Having never been there I’ve heard a few stories that its best to avoid this airport due to volume. My flight gets to Chicago on a Tuesday at 10:20 pm and leaves at 11:55 pm so it is a late flight and I’m hoping volume won’t be as bad as I’ve heard. Problem I think will be to get our two bike boxes to where they need to be and clear immigration/ customs.
Anyone have a ballpark idea if this is enough time? If it were the same terminal I think maybe but taking a shuttle to another terminal I think is going to cause problems for the next flight.
You can do it, but it will be tight depending on how long it takes to clear customs. You need to take the train from terminal 5 to terminal 2 and wait in another security line to get into terminal 2. Customs is the crap shoot. You can go here to get an idea of average wait times: http://awt.cbp.gov/
Terminal 5 is separated from the rest of the airport, but like all terminals is serviced by the tram.
Only a couple minute ride and it runs very often(maybe 5 wait). The tram is outside of security so you have to hit TSA-hell again in terminal 2.
I use the train from long-term parking all the time and it is definitely an efficient way to move between terminals.
Post terminal 5 to tram – 1/4 mile walk with 2 escalators – 5 minutesTram wait – 5 minutesTram ride – 2 minutesTram to terminal 2 checkin – 1/4 mile walk with 2 escalators – 5 minutesRe-check in for flight – 10 minutesTSA – 10 minutes Walk to the gate – 5 minutes
I would guess just under 3/4ths hour beyond customs.
The time makes it a crapshoot as they could understaff any everything could take forever or they could be decently staffed and you will just fly through checkin and security.
Depends, are you going to have to claim your bike box in Ohare and recheck it? If you are on the same airline for both legs of your flight I think the bikes will be transferred for you.
If a 747 or 777 comes in from a non-English country speaking 1/2 of the world comes in at the same time… it will be tight.
I distinctly once remember coming form Canada and the pilot was rushing to the gate to try and get us ahead of a plane with 400 passengers from China that was sure to overload the system. I think we ended up in the middle of it, but fortunately at that time there were line for US vs. foreign visa I think, so that helped a lot.
The new, automated systems at O’Hare are much faster than the previous human systems. I can’t think of the last time I waited more than 15 minutes in immigration.
I routinely spend more time waiting for my bags than waiting for immigration / customs.
95 min is plenty of time, IMO. I will concede that being a visitor to the US may add some additional time if another flight lands just prior to yours.
Great information folks especially the shuttle time between terminals. If we don’t give it a shot and try for the midnight flight we’re on the terminal floor until 0630 the next morning. Thanks again.