• Home
  • About
    • Where has GhettoIFE gone?
    • For PR’s and Agencies (Changes and Corrections)
    • Privacy Policy
  • Snapshots
  • Trip Reports
  • Travel Plus…
    • … Technology
    • … Photography

Economy Class & Beyond

You are here: Home / Trips / ORD Fall 2024 / TRIP REPORT: Return to O’Hare Terminal 3. Wait, Terminal 3? There and Back Again

TRIP REPORT: Return to O’Hare Terminal 3. Wait, Terminal 3? There and Back Again

09/12/2024 by Kevincm

TRIP REPORT: Return to Chicago O’Hare, Terminal 3. Wait, Terminal 3?
There and Back Again

There and back again trip report header - Image, Economy Class and Beyond

It’s time to head home after seeing my friends in Chicago. But first I have to get to the right terminal at O’Hare International Airport… with Terminal 3 being my destination…

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 – Seeing Cloud Gate after works at the Plaza
  • Did I mention I hate suitcases? The Hunt for a Replacement
  • Exploring The Loop from Above with the Chicago L
  • Random Food Adventures in Chicago 
  • 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

With my time coming to an end in Chicago, it was time for me to take the new luggage on a journey to the O’Hare Airport Complex and back across the pond.

a suitcases on the floor
Let’s get this ugly bunch home. The new suitcase, loaded and ready to play.

As usual, I grabbed a hotel shuttle to travel back to O’Hare Airport.

a group of people outside a building
See you again in five months or so. 

inside a bus with a screen on the front
Shuttling time. It’s amazing how few people head out to the airport in the evening.

a road with trees in the background
Evening lights.

a plane on the runway
Rush hour queue for departure.

a view from a car window of a runway
The far end of Terminal 1.

But not back to Terminal 5…rather I was at Terminal 3 in the central terminal complex.

cars on a road with a bridge over it
It’s been some time since I’ve stood here. 

British Airways has recently (if April is recent) moved its departures out of the traditional home of the International Terminal at O’Hare (T5) and into Terminal 3 (where American Airlines has its hub). Thus it moves in with fellow IAG airlines Aer Lingus and Iberia as well as Japan Airlines.

a silver car and bus parked under a bridge
See you again soon shuttle bus.

a sign in a building
Welcome to British Airways Check-in. 

a glass door with people walking around
In we go. Check-in Areas are directly in front. 

For those who haven’t had to use British Airways to depart from Terminal 3, you can access the BA check-in desks from the first set of doors on the departures level. The BA queues are in front of you as you go through the door.

a blue sign in a building
Choose your adventure (depending on fare and status).

The lines moved quickly along, and I was at the head of the check-in desk. The process took a little longer than usual – mainly because a printer was jamming and thus not spitting out luggage tags.

people in a terminal

a sign with text and images on it
I do wish to declare I can boogie though. That’s not a controlled item thankfully. Although I suspect that airlines would charge for emotional baggage, there would be no such thing as losses in the industry. 

No upgrade offers were made during the check-in process – with the flight sounding like it was going to head out rather full.

Eventually, both were tagged through to London – although I was getting worried, with the number of aborted prints of the tags, that at least one bag might not make it.

Security is a little different – with lots of small security checkpoints. I was directed to Checkpoint 6, whilst TSA PreClear could use Checkpoint 7.

a blue sign in a building

people walking in a terminal

a sign on a stand
A friendly reminder about firearms…

As there was only one document checker and one line clearing passengers through the security portal, it was slow going, taking 20 minutes to clear this checkpoint.

With everything recombobulated together, it was time to explore O’Hare Terminal 3 – something I haven’t done in years (mainly, as I normally change planes in Europe and the Nordics on the way back – rather than in the USA).

a large airport terminal with people walking
Ahh. Terminal 3. It’s been some time. 

a vending machine with a screen
But what secrets do they contain? I didn’t hang around to find out.

a green box in a hallway
Ahhh. Be careful when transporting cannabis… especially beyond the USA where some countries look very dimly on weed – and use lethal methods to show they mean it. And be careful about transporting vapes too, as there are few where they are banned.

a group of people sitting at tables in a restaurant people sitting at tables in a large building
Chillis. Midwestern fine dining, I’m led to believe.

a store entrance with a sign
Oooh. Self-Serve Hudson news. Or it is Hudson’s logo with Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” technology. 

I made my way along into the terminal, passing through the hall of flags, with the globe as pride of place.

a group of people in a hallway

a large globe with pink ribbons from the ceiling

a globe with lights from a ceiling
The Globe.

a group of people in a large airport
Beyond the Globe. 

a machine in a room
Gamble before you fly! State Sanctioned Lotto!

people sitting at a bar
Bubbles. Paid, of course. 

From here, it was a matter of following the signs to the lounge – with two airline lounges being offered – an Admirals Club and a Flagship Business Lounge,

a white door with a purple logo on it
What a wonderful idea. No smelly toilets. Just a clean environment in a pod to lactate as needed.

a vending machine in a store
Gotta sell everything!

a machine with popcorn in it
Including popcorn. Damn, I missed bringing back a can of popcorn this trip… next time. 

American Airlines Flagship Lounge

I headed into the lounge and was welcomed by an agent. With a blip of my boarding pass, I was granted access.

people standing at a reception desk

a large picture of a city on a wall
It’s rather dotty. 

I was also given a plastic card and a wifi key and advised that I would be using the Flagship Lounge that evening.

a hand holding a black and white card
Ooh. Invited am I? 

a close up of buttons on a elevator

Well, that’s an uplift I can handle – in all honesty, I thought I’d get the Admirals Club. But this is a lot better. Going into the club, there are a lot of options – depending on what you want. Whilst the Flagship lounge was busy, it wasn’t saturated – so finding a seat wasn’t too hard a task.

a black and grey booth in a store a red chairs and a table in a room a hallway with shelves and a person walking

I found a spot to sit, near the dining area and with a window. Because I like to gaze out on the world, whilst working my way the food in the lounge.

an airplane on the runway at night
The earlier British Airways Boeing 787-10 heading off to London.

airplanes on a runway at night a group of airplanes on a runway an airplane on the runway at night
An arriving American 737-800… with some good beacon timing. 

airplanes at an airport at night
Rush hour.

airplanes at an airport at night
Ah. My inbound carriage. 

With a buffet to help myself to, it would be rude if I didn’t at least partake (and given how O’Hare catering can be sometimes… that could be a good thing).

a sign with a menu on it
Hey. Lounges. Do this more often. It’s called a menu. 

a table with food in bowls
Nachos and dip.

a buffet table with many trays of food
Cold items.

a buffet table with food items on it
Soup. And a splash. 

a group of food in a pan
Wild Carrots.

a bowl of food on a counter
Gnocchi.

a group of pans of food in a glass case
Pad Thai Shrimp Fried Rice.

a food in a container
Chicken Chimichurri.

a group of pans of food on a counter
Lamb Kofta.

a group of jars on a wooden tray
Ok… I know that glass is recyclable, but is this going a little too far for condiments, when squeeze bottles or classy pump dispensers exist?

a display of desserts on a counter
Desert. 

The quality of the food was pretty good, with lovely flavours and complimenting items. Combined with the choice of hot and cold items, it’s a great thing to see in a premium lounge.

Let’s move on to beverages, with alcoholic and non-alcoholic on free-pour/free choice.

a bar with many bottles of alcohol
Spirits.

a group of bottles in a metal sink
Bubbles. 

a table with bottles and other items
Tea. 

a counter with a few coffee containers and other items
Tea and coffee.

There were also a couple of drinks stations dotted around the lounge – so you didn’t need to wander to the refectory to pick up a drink.

a coffee machine with a screen and a metal container
More coffee.

a bar with various drinks and utensils
Coffee, Tea and a cocktail station.

a group of glass bowls of fruit
Ok, America. What is this thing about putting Apples in cling film/cellophane wrap? 

a white counter with fruit and drinks on it
Drinks, snacks and water.

For those of us who are used to the old BA Dungeon in Terminal 5, it’s a big step up in space and facilities – let’s not beat about the bush. However, it did take more than a minute to find a seat – that’s not so good and shows the lounge is being hit hard with Aer Lingus and Britsh Airways passengers flooding the space – along with American Airlines premium and long haul passengers.

Hopefully, flights can be spaced out, but in the future, more elites could stuff the place full.

Thankfully, long-haul flights were called directly from the lounge, with walking times given to ensure you got to the gate in plenty of time. That I appreciate – especially it does take me a few minutes to grab my crap and put it all back together before travelling.

a trash can in an elevator

Heading down to the exit, it’s a pretty easy walk, as all British Airways flights go from Gate K20 – thankfully a short walk away from the Flagship Lounge.

people in an airport with a person standing in front of a cart
Choose your own adventure. 

people walking in a building
Back into the maelstrom.

Boarding was well underway when I arrived at the gate – so I slipped past most of the masses into the priority queue.

a group of people standing in a line in a building

Entering the queue, was a process as always. My passport was taken, and my face was captured for Homeland Security to mark that I had left the USA. With a boarding pass rip, I was marked as present.

Thus, I was allowed to board.

Next:

BA296 Chicago O’Hare to London Heathrow. A Happy Crew makes for a Happy Flight. Prove me wrong.


Welcome to Economy Class and Beyond. Your no-nonsense guide to network news, honest reviews, in-depth coverage, unique research, as well as the humour and madness I only know how to deliver.

Our Social Media pool has expanded. You can find us across most networks as @economybeyond on BlueSky, Threads  Mastodon and Instagram!

Also, remember that we are part of the BoardingArea community, bringing you the latest frequent flyer news from around the world.

Related

Filed Under: ORD Fall 2024, Trip, Trip Reports, Trips

  • Bluesky
  • Email
  • Instagram
  • Mastodon
  • RSS
  • Threads

Recent Posts

  • Royal Brunei selects Intelsat for Mutli-Orbit In-Flight Connectivity
  • Lufthansa activates Free Inflight Messaging for intercontinental flights
  • JetBlue and Brightline to lauch multimodal travel options in Florida
  • Data Storage Adventures – Part 4 – Moving data around using ROBOCOPY
  • Emirates plans its return to Damascus, Syria

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive email updates daily and to hear what's going on with us!

Privacy Policy
Copyright © Economy Class & Beyond All Rights Reserved.
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Economy Class & Beyond with appropriate and specific directions to the original content.