Transiting Chicago O’Hare in under 40 minutes – It is possible…

Good morning from Las Vegas, Nevada, as I’m recovering from a few flights, and probably the fastest ever transit I’ve done through Chicago O’Hare International Airport on an International to Domestic Connection.

Now, bear in mind:

• I haven’t got Global Entry
• Three wide bodied planes arrived within 5 minutes of each other
• I was in the last section of a Boeing 747 (but near the front of the last section).
• The plane was late into the dock (landing at 14:33, making to the terminal at 14:45).
• My onward flight was leaving at 15:50.

So, those odds aren’t what I call “peachy” or “good” – or to put it bluntly, I was prepared to rip up the connection, and wait for the 9PM flight.

Even with an orange expedited clearance ticket

Thankfully, there is another method to clear at Chicago O’Hare called “1 Stop Clearance”. The idea is that you can complete all formalities at one place at the airport providing you’re carrying hand luggage only.

Which is what I did today. Even on a 1 hour 45 connection, Transiting Chicago O’Hare can be a nightmare. I therefore on the outbound of this trip as hand luggage only.

The process, outlined at http://www.flychicago.com/OHare/EN/AtAirport/AirportSecurity/Pages/1-Stop.aspx

• Ensure you’re on hand luggage only
• Line up
• Get cleared by CBP agent
• Exit the secure area, bypassing any further controls.

Now, there can be a bit of a queue as there is only one agent to handle this – however the queue goes at a fair pace as the officer filters people through (in my wait – I noticed no refusals), and I was through in about 15 minutes flat.

The rest of the transfer was pretty normal – run up to the Airport Transit System (and I did run to get aboard), head over to T3, enter the Express Connections queue, clear security (with time for a pat down), and onto the plane where boarding was in full swing.

With 20 minutes to spare.

Extremely short connections aren’t an impossibility when travelling, but good planning and a little luck goes a long way.

Also, if you’re travelling through O’Hare with hand luggage and not holding Global Entry, this can be a saver.

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