lounge at Chicago

samuela66

donny_osmonds_mad_fan wrote: »

samuel you will have to collect your bags and go through customs, so go land side so yes you can leave, you should be able to drop your bags right off but you will then have to go and go back through security etc as this will be your first port of entry in the country...you should be checked in though so if you chose to leave the airport should have checked in bags and be checked in so just go through security and to the gate.

Do I have to recheck in I am going AA all the way back to manchester:rolleyes:

samuela66

hammy_the_hammer wrote: »

i doubt that you could use the lounge for anything like that time period

I wasnt planning on using it for 7 hours just somewhere to escape for a while!!

stoneman

I assume everyone is talking about the Admirals lounge on concourse K. We had free entry to it last week as we were flying business class, if I had to pay for it I wouldn't bother. seating is no better than in the terminal, food is more expensive, only thing free is coffee and tea. O'hare has free Wi-Fi throughout so that's no problem.
after you arrive at ORD, go through immigration and collect your bags, you then go through a door marked AA connecting flights, on the other side of the door your bags will be whipped off of you by some nice men and placed on a conveyor, and you won't see them again till your final destination. You will then be free to do as you like, leave the airport if you wish, you then need to make your way to security, and your connecting flight, loads of shops and eating places on the other side (best I have come across).
On your return, you will check your bags in at Tampa, and never see or handle them again till you arrive at MAN. I tell you. AA have it sussed, and you will also find on landing at ORD that the MAN flight will almost certainly be no more than a 2 minute walk away.

samuela66

stoneman wrote: »

I assume everyone is talking about the Admirals lounge on concourse K. We had free entry to it last week as we were flying business class, if I had to pay for it I wouldn't bother. seating is no better than in the terminal, food is more expensive, only thing free is coffee and tea. O'hare has free Wi-Fi throughout so that's no problem.
after you arrive at ORD, go through immigration and collect your bags, you then go through a door marked AA connecting flights, on the other side of the door your bags will be whipped off of you by some nice men and placed on a conveyor, and you won't see them again till your final destination. You will then be free to do as you like, leave the airport if you wish, you then need to make your way to security, and your connecting flight, loads of shops and eating places on the other side (best I have come across).
On your return, you will check your bags in at Tampa, and never see or handle them again till you arrive at MAN. I tell you. AA have it sussed, and you will also find on landing at ORD that the MAN flight will almost certainly be no more than a 2 minute walk away.

Stoneman,
Thanks for all that, good news my bags are gone, I have a Q, would you advise me going off site for a jaunt around Chicago or am I too far away!, Shops on other side do you mean when I am waiting to board my flight from chicago that bit?

thanks again...........

stoneman

Yes most of the good shops are airside, after you go through security. One peice of advice, take your own headphones, the ones you get on an AA flight are cheap nasty earbuds!!

donny_osmonds_mad_fan

there are not many shops at all on the concourse at chicago, definately not the united one anyway, a mc d's that has nowhere to sit so you have to find an empty lounge...they are open plan so not a major problem but nothing like you would expect for a major international hub to be honest.

to make it clear samuel, when entering the usa with a connecting flight, you need to pick up your bags at first port of entry....you basically come off the plane at chicago, go through immigration, pick up bags, go through the door it is clearly signed and normally has someone saying united airlines this side aa that side...hand them over.

You are then landside, however you should have been checked in if your bags are tagged onwards, if your bags are not tagged onwards there may be a desk there where you can do it...but dont quote me on that, failing that you will have to go to departures, check in and check your bags in as normal.

if you are checked in with boarding pass and handed your bags over then you just go through security and follow the signs for your next gate....or if you have time to spare and want to leave the airport then leave but when you come back if you are pre checked in etc and have onward boarding pass then just go to security.

when you come back, if you are connecting it is different, your bags will be checked all the way through as you will be connecting not entering the country etc...so if you check your bags where you start make sure they are tagged to the uk, then when you transit at chicago you just can get off your first flight and make your way to the next one....providing you have been checked through and have your boarding pass.

you wont be checked through if your journeys are on different carriers who dont have an agreement, if it is the same carrier it shouldnt be a problem but even if it isnt the same airline it is worth asking although some airlines wont check in if it isnt ticketed on the same ticket even if they have an agreement.

stoneman

I understand Samuela is traveling all the way with AA who use concourse K for the flights from and to MAN. We found 2 large food courts, at least 3 bars, one selling a beer and hotdog for $2.50 duty free shops, news agents, etc. ORD is AA's hub and they are the largest airline in the world, so you would expect there to be more stuff than other airlines have access to.
As for the Admirals lounge, you get 1 voucher for a free beverage (alcoholic) then you pay for the rest. Believe me, not really worth the money, we were there at about 2:30 pm and it was packed.
Beware of security, it took us 20 minutes to get through, so don't leave your time tight if you do go wandering

duchy

Agreed loads of shops-don't know about UA's terminal by comparison either.
I had 6 hours in Chicago on a layover and it's really easy to get into Downtown. I met a friend for lunch and had a tour of the city. The rapid transit (train to us) station is built onto the airport and was around £2. Much better than sitting at the airport but make sure you allow plenty of time to get back in case of delays (and to get through security).

samuela66

duchy wrote: »

Agreed loads of shops-don't know about UA's terminal by comparison either.
I had 6 hours in Chicago on a layover and it's really easy to get into Downtown. I met a friend for lunch and had a tour of the city. The rapid transit (train to us) station is built onto the airport and was around £2. Much better than sitting at the airport but make sure you allow plenty of time to get back in case of delays (and to get through security).

Cheers Duchy, like I said I've got a 7 hour layover so that's great to know I can hop on the train and do some exploring,
cheers:beer:

donny_osmonds_mad_fan

stoneman wrote: »

I understand Samuela is traveling all the way with AA who use concourse K for the flights from and to MAN. We found 2 large food courts, at least 3 bars, one selling a beer and hotdog for $2.50 duty free shops, news agents, etc. ORD is AA's hub and they are the largest airline in the world, so you would expect there to be more stuff than other airlines have access to.
As for the Admirals lounge, you get 1 voucher for a free beverage (alcoholic) then you pay for the rest. Believe me, not really worth the money, we were there at about 2:30 pm and it was packed.
Beware of security, it took us 20 minutes to get through, so don't leave your time tight if you do go wandering

bargain lol it is united main hub too in fact it is where united is based, it has it's world HQ at chicago...but weirdly the concourse lacks somewhat, never had to spend too much time there....as travelling as staff I was lucky to always get a seat out of chicago and often had tight connections lol, they have more at denver (luckily as I spent a whole day there once lol) and the new york terminal where they dont even have a flight to london any more.