The Complete O'Hare Airport Guide
Everything you need for a smooth trip through Chicago O'Hare (ORD) - terminals and airlines, step-by-step walkthroughs for departing, arriving, and international travelers, customs and baggage claim, where your chauffeur meets you, and the TSA rules that matter. Bookmark it, then let us handle the drive.
One of the world's busiest airports
Chicago O'Hare International Airport - code ORD, from its original name, Orchard Field - sits about 17 miles northwest of the Loop and is consistently among the busiest airports on earth. It's a major hub for both United and American Airlines and a global gateway, with roughly 70 nonstop international destinations and around 148 international flights a day on top of an enormous domestic schedule. This guide comes from our Chicago O'Hare limo team, who work these terminals every day.
For travelers, the most important thing to know is the layout: O'Hare has four passenger terminals - 1, 2, 3, and 5. (There is no Terminal 4; the number is skipped.) Terminals 1, 2, and 3 form a connected core for domestic flying, while Terminal 5 is the international gateway, home to U.S. Customs and most arriving international flights. A free train, the Airport Transit System (ATS), links all of them.
Whether you're flying out at dawn or landing from overseas at midnight, the rest of this guide walks you through it step by step - and our chauffeurs do this every day. When you're ready, book a flat-rate airport transfer or contact us any time.
O'Hare terminals at a glance
O'Hare's four terminals are numbered 1, 2, 3, and 5 - there is no Terminal 4. Airline assignments can change, so always confirm your terminal on your boarding pass or with your airline before you travel.
The short version
Flying United? Likely Terminal 1. American? Likely Terminal 3. Delta or Frontier, or arriving from overseas? Likely Terminal 5. Connecting between terminals is easy on the free ATS train - but leave time, since it's a real walk plus a ride. A detailed terminal map and directions and terminal pickup guide go even deeper. For every airline, see our full list of O'Hare airlines by terminal.
Your departure, step by step
Catching a flight out of ORD is easiest when the drive is handled for you. Here's exactly how a departure works with us - from your front door or hotel lobby to your gate.
- 1Door-to-door pickup. Your chauffeur arrives early at your home, office, or hotel, helps load every bag, and confirms your terminal. The fare is flat and the time is built around your flight, not a meter. See airport drop-off.
- 2The drive, planned around traffic. We watch live conditions and pick the fastest route and tollway so you reach the terminal with time to spare - see when to leave home below.
- 3Curbside at the upper (departures) level. We pull right up to your airline's doors on the departures level, unload your luggage, and hand it to you curbside - no parking, no shuttle, no long walk.
- 4Check in and drop your bags. Use a kiosk or the counter to get boarding passes and tag checked bags. Have your ID and confirmation ready; international travelers may need a passport and visa check.
- 5Clear TSA security. Follow signs to the checkpoint for your concourse. Have a REAL ID or passport and your boarding pass out, and your liquids ready - full rules below.
- 6To your gate. Check the boards for your gate and any changes. If your gate is in another terminal, take the free ATS train and allow extra minutes.
When to leave for O'Hare
The TSA suggests arriving about 2 hours before a domestic flight and 3 hours before an international flight. Add your drive time on top of that, plus extra time for rush hour, holidays, and snow. Our guide on how early to leave for O'Hare has suggested leave times by area, and we confirm your exact pickup time when you book.
Arriving on a domestic flight
Just landed? Here's the path from your seat to your chauffeur. (Coming from overseas? Jump to international arrivals for the customs steps first.)
Deplane and follow the signs
Step off the jet bridge and follow the overhead Baggage Claim and Ground Transportation signs. They lead you down toward the lower level, where bags and rides are.
Find your baggage carousel
Check the baggage-claim monitors for your airline and flight number - they list the assigned carousel. Each terminal has its own claim hall on the lower level.
Collect your luggage
Grab your checked bags from the carousel. Bag delayed or missing? Visit your airline's baggage service office right there in the claim hall before you leave.
Text or meet your chauffeur
With a flat-rate reservation, your chauffeur is already tracking your flight. Choose meet and greet at the terminal door, or curbside pickup on the lower arrivals level - details just below.
We handle the bags
Your chauffeur takes the luggage, walks you to the vehicle, and you're off - no rideshare surge, no line, no hunting for your car. See airport pickup.
Home, downtown, or onward
Settle into a clean, current-year vehicle for a flat-rate ride to your door, a hotel, downtown Chicago, or any suburb we serve.
Your three pickup options at ORD
Pre-arranged car service is different from a rideshare. We meet you down on the lower (arrivals) level in the commercial-vehicle lane, or right at the terminal door - not at the upper-level rideshare zone. Pick the option that fits your trip.
Meet and greet (at the door)
Your chauffeur parks and waits at the terminal door holding a name sign, helps with your luggage, and walks you to the car. Ideal for international arrivals, first-time visitors, families, VIPs, and anyone who'd rather not search.
Best for Intl arrivals | families | VIPs
Curbside (arrivals level)
Once you have your bags, you text or call and your chauffeur pulls up to the lower-level commercial lane outside your terminal. Fast, simple, and great when you're traveling light.
Where Lower / arrivals level curb
Cell Phone Lot wait
Your chauffeur stages for free at O'Hare's Cell Phone Lot (560 N. Bessie Coleman Dr.) and drives over the moment you're curbside - no circling, no extra fees, no rushing you.
Lot 560 N. Bessie Coleman Dr.
How this differs from a rideshare
Standard rideshare pickups use the upper-level Ride App Zone - doors 2A-2F at Terminal 2 and 3G-3K at Terminal 3, with Terminal 1 and Terminal 5 flyers riding the ATS to get there. With our pre-arranged service you skip all of that: we come to the arrivals curb or to baggage claim, and there's never surge pricing. Want the full breakdown? See our airport pickup guide and meet and greet service.
International arrivals, step by step
Landing from overseas adds a few steps - immigration, baggage, and customs - almost always at Terminal 5, O'Hare's international gateway and customs hall. (Preclearance flights from Canada and from Dublin and Shannon in Ireland are an exception: you clear U.S. customs before takeoff and land at a domestic terminal, 1, 2, or 3, like a domestic arrival.) Here's the full sequence at T5.
- 1Deplane at Terminal 5. Follow the signs for Arrivals / Immigration - everyone on an international arrival is funneled toward passport control first.
- 2Immigration / passport control (CBP). Have your passport and, if you're a visitor, your visa or ESTA ready. U.S. citizens and residents use designated lanes; many travelers speed things up with Global Entry or the free Mobile Passport Control app.
- 3Collect your checked bags. After immigration you reach the T5 baggage carousels - you pick up your luggage before customs, even if you have an onward connection.
- 4Clear customs (declaration). Hand over or scan your declaration and pass through. Most travelers with nothing to declare are waved straight through.
- 5Walk out - we're waiting. Head to the Terminal 5 door, where your chauffeur is holding a name sign with meet and greet. We strongly recommend meet and greet for international trips.
- 6Connecting to a domestic flight? Re-drop your bags at the connecting-baggage belt, take the ATS train to your departure terminal, and clear TSA security again. Allow 60-90 minutes or more at busy times.
Smoothing the international arrival
A few things that make passport control and customs faster - and a calmer first hour in Chicago.
- Have documents ready. Passport, visa or ESTA, and your customs declaration in hand before you reach the officer.
- Use Global Entry or Mobile Passport Control. Both can cut the immigration wait dramatically for eligible travelers.
- Allow time for connections. Re-checking bags, the ATS ride, and a second TSA screening take real time - 60-90 minutes minimum.
- Book meet and greet. After a long flight, a chauffeur with a name sign and a clear plan removes all the guesswork.
- We track your flight. Delays, early landings, and diversions are handled automatically - your chauffeur adjusts and waits.
- Free wait time at the Cell Phone Lot. No pressure if customs runs long - there's no meter and no surge.
The security rules that matter
A quick refresher on what gets you through the O'Hare checkpoints fastest. Rules are set by the TSA and can change - check tsa.gov for the latest before you fly.
REAL ID or passport
Since May 2025, adults need a REAL ID-compliant license/ID (the star in the corner) or another accepted ID such as a passport to fly within the U.S. Check yours well before travel.
3-1-1 liquids
Carry-on liquids must be in containers of 3.4 oz (100 ml) or less, all fitting in one quart-size clear bag, one bag per traveler. Larger liquids go in checked bags.
Electronics and laptops
In standard lanes, take laptops and large electronics out of your bag for screening, and remove shoes, belts, and jackets. TSA PreCheck lets you keep them on and in.
PreCheck and CLEAR
TSA PreCheck and CLEAR both have lanes at O'Hare and can save serious time. Add your Known Traveler Number to your reservation so it prints on your boarding pass.
Prohibited items
No weapons or sharp objects in carry-ons; spare lithium batteries and power banks must stay in carry-on, not checked. When in doubt, check the TSA "What Can I Bring?" list.
Arrive early
Plan for ~2 hours before a domestic flight and ~3 before international, plus your drive. We build your pickup time around exactly that.
Have these out and ready at the checkpoint
Your boarding pass and REAL ID or passport, your quart bag of liquids, and your laptop/large electronics (unless you have PreCheck). Empty your pockets into your bag before the line, not at the bin - it keeps everyone moving.
Trains, parking and the cell phone lot
How the pieces of O'Hare connect - and why so many travelers skip the parking math entirely.
ATS train (free)
The Airport Transit System is a free automated train linking all four terminals with the Multi-Modal Facility - remote/economy parking, rental cars, and the Metra station. Use it to move between terminals; allow a few extra minutes.
Links T1 | T2 | T3 | T5 | MMF
Parking and what it costs
O'Hare's economy lots run roughly $15-$22 a day and the main terminal garage around $43 a day - before the shuttle or the walk with luggage. For a few days away, a round-trip car can cost less and leave your car safely at home.
Compare Parking vs. car service
Cell Phone Lot (free)
The free waiting lot where your chauffeur stages until you're at the curb with your bags - no circling the terminals, no early-arrival fees, no rush. It's a big part of why pickups are so smooth.
For Stress-free arrivals pickup
Getting from O'Hare into the city or suburbs
Headed downtown? See O'Hare to Downtown Chicago and the time and distance guide. Going to the suburbs? Our suburbs transportation guide and service-area map cover flat rates and drive times from every direction.
A familiar face at the terminal door
For arriving travelers - especially after a long international flight, with family, or on a first visit to Chicago - nothing beats stepping out to find your name on a sign. Your chauffeur parks, waits at the terminal door, helps with every bag, and walks you straight to a clean, waiting vehicle.
It's the calmest way to land: no rideshare app, no surge, no wandering the curb looking for a car. We track your flight from wheels-up, so whether you're early, late, or diverted, your chauffeur is there when you clear the hall. It pairs perfectly with the international arrival steps above.
Add it to any reservation, or build it into a round-trip airport transfer. Learn more on our meet and greet and airport pickup pages.
Further reading
To see why some international flights do not land at Terminal 5, read Preclearance Flights to O'Hare: Which Terminal You Land At.
O'Hare airport FAQ
Which terminal is my airline at O'Hare? +
Where will my chauffeur meet me when I land? +
Where do international flights arrive at O'Hare? +
How early should I get to O'Hare? +
Do I need a REAL ID to fly? +
What's the liquids rule for carry-ons? +
How do I get between terminals? +
Where is the O'Hare Cell Phone Lot? +
Do you track my flight if it's delayed or early? +
How much is a car to or from O'Hare? +
Do you offer international meet and greet? +
Can you handle large groups or lots of luggage? +
Keep planning your O'Hare trip
Go deeper with our other guides, or jump straight to booking your flat-rate ride.
Terminal Pickup Guide
Exactly where to meet your chauffeur at each terminal, door by door.
Learn moreTerminal Map and Directions
How Terminals 1, 2, 3, and 5 connect, and how to move between them.
Learn moreAirport Pickup and Flight Tracking
How we watch your flight so pickups adjust to delays and early landings.
Learn moreParking vs. Car Service
The real cost of leaving your car at O'Hare - and when a ride wins.
Learn moreAll Service Areas
Flat rates and drive times from every Chicagoland suburb and neighborhood.
View the mapLet us handle the O'Hare part
You've read the guide - now skip the parking, the rideshare surge, and the stress. Book a flat-rate, flight-tracked ride to or from O'Hare, door to door, 24/7.
Chicago O'Hare is one of the world's busiest airports, with Terminals 1, 2, 3, and 5 connected by an automated train. This guide from O'Hare Limo Service covers departures, arrivals, international customs, baggage claim, TSA, and where to meet your chauffeur for a smooth flat-rate airport transfer.
Terminals 1, 2, 3 and 5 | Arrivals, customs and TSA | Where to meet your car