TRIP REPORT: Return to Chicago O’Hare, Terminal 3. Wait, Terminal 3?
There and Back Again
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.
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.
See you again in five months or so.
Shuttling time. It’s amazing how few people head out to the airport in the evening.
Evening lights.
Rush hour queue for departure.
The far end of Terminal 1.
But not back to Terminal 5…rather I was at Terminal 3 in the central terminal complex.
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.
See you again soon shuttle bus.
Welcome to British Airways Check-in.
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.
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.
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 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).
Ahh. Terminal 3. It’s been some time.
But what secrets do they contain? I didn’t hang around to find out.
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.
Chillis. Midwestern fine dining, I’m led to believe.
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.
The Globe.
Beyond the Globe.
Gamble before you fly! State Sanctioned Lotto!
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,
What a wonderful idea. No smelly toilets. Just a clean environment in a pod to lactate as needed.
Gotta sell everything!
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.
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.
Ooh. Invited am I?
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.
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.
The earlier British Airways Boeing 787-10 heading off to London.
An arriving American 737-800… with some good beacon timing.
Rush hour.
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).
Hey. Lounges. Do this more often. It’s called a menu.
Nachos and dip.
Cold items.
Soup. And a splash.
Wild Carrots.
Gnocchi.
Pad Thai Shrimp Fried Rice.
Chicken Chimichurri.
Lamb Kofta.
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?
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.
Spirits.
Bubbles.
Tea.
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.
More coffee.
Coffee, Tea and a cocktail station.
Ok, America. What is this thing about putting Apples in cling film/cellophane wrap?
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.
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.
Choose your own adventure.
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.
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.
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