TRIP REPORT: Airplane Art Extra from the Hyatt Regency O’Hare

Airplane Art Extra from the Hyatt Regency O’Hare
There and Back Again

It’s Sunday again, and its time for some more Airplane Art – the second batch from this trip report. 

In this adventure

• Let’s have a Melancholy Introduction
• To the 2:40 Coach and Heathrow Terminal 3
• Lounging in Terminal 3 with Cathay Pacific and American Airlines
• AA99 London Heathrow to Chicago O’Hare (Main Cabin)
• Into the USA and The Holiday Inn/Staybridge Suites, Rosemont 
• Airplane Art Extra from the Holiday Inn/Staybridge Suites, Rosemont
• Hyatt Regency O’Hare
• Airplane Art Extra from the Hyatt Regency O’Hare
• An Unveiled Bean
• Did I mention I hate suitcases?
• Exploring The Loop from Above.
• Random Food Adventures
• Off to O’Hare Terminal 3. Wait. T3? With the American Airlines Flagship Lounge
• BA296 Chicago O’hare to London Heathrow (World Traveller)
• Coffee and the Coach
• One step forward

It’s a Sunday again (at the time of publication), so it must be time for some more Airplane Art. 

If you’re a regular reader of Economy Class and Beyond, you’ll know that we have a weekly feature called “Airplane Art” where I debut some of my photography of aircraft.

I tend to rotate photos in this section a lot through the blog, but it’s time for a “Special” from one of my favourite spotting locations – at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare. 

Why here?

It’s right on the Approach/Departure paths for Chicago O’Hare. This screenshot should say it all:

This, of course, is dependent on the room, which will depend on your view, as well as the winds – these factors all will. For all of this trip, I seemed to have landing views, as opposed to take-off views. As I’ve noted in the main hotel review, this time, we’re facing towards one of the runways, with the mess of highways that is Rosemont in the middle.

As well as the L Station.

It’s important to ensure you get a room in the main hotel block, where there are balconies (these are typically double-queen rooms). Not in the turret rooms, and certainly not in the international block, where there are no balconies, and thus, an extra layer of glass between you and your desired photo

It does make a big difference in your ability to take photos or watch aircraft.

A lot of your traffic will be dependent on what Air Traffic Control decides to send via the approach paths, whilst the other dependency will be wind, which will convert a landing runway into a departure runway.

And remember, winds can change during the day.

One of the most important tools you can have is FlightRadar24 (and considering how much the Silver membership a year is, I’d pay up – even if to avoid the adverts.

For this shoot, I’ve gone with my default shooting equipment – a Canon EOS R, with an RF to EF adaptor – with a classic EF 100-400mm f5.6-f6.3 L Series Zoom lens. The kit is a little older, with the lens having seen better days (and I’m still eyeing the new RF lenses from afar). There are also some from the 70-300 DO IS Series lens – but I’ll note these as I go along.

Austrian Airlines Boeing 787-9. Wow. Such a… high-effort design for the livery.

American Airlines Airbus A320

Kalitta Air Boeing 747-400F

Air Canada Airbus A220-300

JetBlue Embraer E190

Turkish Airlines Airbus A350-900

Contour Air CRJ-200 

Korean Air Boeing 777-300ER 

Emirates Boeing 777-300ER 

To fly, To Serve with a British Airways Boeing 787-10 on finals.

China Southern Boeing 777F

They’re still a whole different animal – Frontier Airbus A320ne.o

A different aircraft for Turkish Airlines for Chicago run – an Airbus A330-300

Another day, another Korean Air Boeing 777-300ER

The workhorse of the US Regional aviation – the Embraer E175.

Days of more efficient air cargo – EVA Air Cargo Boeing 777F.

Southwest Boeing 737-800.

Still, the place where 747s roam – Korean Air Boeing 747-400F

An increasingly rare beast – A Delta Boeing 717.

American Airlines Boeing 737-800

Overall

For those who want to spot aircraft in comfort (because we’ve all been out on cold wet days going out to shoot pictures of aircraft), The Hyatt Regency O’Hare is a reasonable enough place to shoot your aircraft photos.

Just remember, you are at the mercy of the winds, as well as where the hotel staff choose to locate your room – as long as you’re not in the International Wing (where there are none to few balconies), you’ll be fine.

And make sure your FlightRadar24 subscription is up to date – it’s a vital tool, especially in busy airports like this.

Next:

Let’s go and pay a hommage to Cloud Gate – The Bean. Has the covers come down after its refurbishment?

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