Finding Your Way Around Chicago O'Hare Airport: Terminal Three

Three portions of this multi-part feature have spoken volumes about Chicago O'Hare Airport. The last article gave some directions to terminals from the CTA / O'Hare passenger pedway. I'll now focus on the complete airport from the baggage level - up!

Here is where we really see that O'Hare is a city unto itself. Five terminals altogether, one of those is a ground transportation center where hotel/motel courtesy transports and regional bus transports pick up weary travelers for their final leg of transport. We'll start with terminal 3.

There are 14 baggage claim belts in this terminal that serve these airlines:

American Airlines

American Eagle

Delta

American and American Eagle are the premier airlines for terminal 3, Delta has a small and limited operation here. Walk into baggage claim and turn left for all of the American Airlines baggage belts. If you keep going down all the way, you'll see the 4 baggage claim belts for Delta. Also here is the Prospect Aviation Services office. Operations for their portion of business in terminal 5 is based in this office. All the way at the end is Delta's Customer Service / Baggage Service office. Right between the American Airlines baggage claim and American Eagle baggage claim is the Customer Service/Baggage office for American Airlines and American Eagle, although American Eagle has it's own agent assigned to their baggage operations. Hint: they are both the same company, so you can use either one.

Other features of terminal 3 baggage are: City of Chicago Department of Aviation Customer Service and information desks. You can find information from city attractions and schedules, to information about getting around the city once you leave the airport. These folks are knowledgeable about everything. Hertz and Avis car rental desks offer some help, and then there is the Priority Parcel Service run by American Airlines and American Eagle. The desk is manned by employees of a private contract company. These employees were once those of Globe Aviation Services.

Go upstairs on the elevator (veryyyyy slowly) seriously, you're better off using the escalators. Use the escalators to get to the ticketing / departures / concourse level. American Airlines, American Eagle hold almost all of the ticket counter positions here with exception for those used by Delta. Once you are upstairs, go sharp left to get to Delta's counters. The skycaps and baggage handlers here are employees of Prospect Aviation Services. Yes, American Airlines can issue tickets for American Eagle trips. American Eagle will not issue tickets for American Airlines, however.

A great number of ticket counter positions are for First Class / Business / International travel. Coach ticketing is just to your right when you step in on this level.
Here's a newsflash for those of you who haven't been here since the late nineties: the security checkpoint is smaller now, and has also been re-located from where it was before. The checkpoint is just down the hall to the right once you enter the departures level. Security used to be right next to the terminal 3 escalator leading down from the H/K concourse. A Chili's restaurant has taken the place of the old checkpoint.

Let's walk you through security now. TSA has done things a bit different than the old contract companies. They have no more authority or expertise than the old contract companies to be sure. Their level of training and experience is just as bad, if not worse. This is true of them in all the terminals. Your medications if you are carrying any still must be in a clear baggie and must have all of the original labels on them. Don't think of bringing food or drinks through the checkpoint, they are unwelcome. Drinking them to prove safety is no longer acceptable.

When you get to the checkpoint, you will see little grey containers...they are for your shoes, belts, objects from your pockets and yes, all of your jewelry. Once you do this, take your ticket and state I.D. or driver's license out for inspection. They DO check. You are better off not asking them for directions once you get through. It's a waste of your time because they have little to zero knowledge of the airport premises. Your best bet is to read the signs right in front of you. They are not confusing, and are all over the place. If you must ask questions, better to ask a gate agent because they DO know each and every nook of the place. I am going to toot my own horn here, because I know more than anyone there, so my advice is the best of anyone's.

I'm going to say this again: Get to the airport at least TWO hours before your flight. This will give you the absolute best chance of NOT HAVING TO RUSH! You will have a lot less stress getting there earlier. You know you've had to run down the concourse to just make your flight before and that you stood in line worrying about if you'll get your flight and being pushy with the ticket agent as if it's their fault.

This will also give you time to get through the security line, as security stops everything everytime. They can't tell a person's shoe from a true threat. Trust me! I've personally instructed tons of these people, and wonder how they got their diplomas. Now we're at the end of the screening process, and I'll tell you now...NEVER take your eyes off of your belongings until they are securely inside the x-ray machine. When you come through the line, keep your eyes peeled for everyone around you. The left, the right, and behind you. Passengers are thieves just as security are at times thieves. Watch for your belongings to come out from the x-ray machine and do not ever take your eyes off of them!

I'm going to assume you've come through the H / K checkpoint. The "G" concourse is now to your right, as is the rotunda building. The H, K, and L concourses are to your left. If you are going to use the H and K concourses, always remember that the K concourse is to your left of the hallway at all times, and the H concourse is always to your right. Here's where I know you are confused! When you enter the H and K concourses, you'll notice that the K gates share the same hallway as the H gates. It gets better when you get to the end of the hallway where they both split off, and I advise you to watch it here because people have gotten confused with K and H, mostly because of the immense crowds here.

If you go down K thinking you are on the H concourse, don't fret! Halfway down either concourse is a "shortcut" hallway that connects them both. In this "shortcut" hallway is the Admiral's Club! That question is out of the way now. We both knew you were wondering about the Admiral's Club! Admit it!

In 2002, passengers lost out on a valuable thing. At the split of the H and K concourses there was once a "help desk" for everyone. That help desk is now just a screen of flight information. Use these screens! Yes, use them! The screens have everything you need to know!

At the H and K split, you will see that there is now a HUGE open food court. This used to be a smaller, sit down restaurant. This is an improvement because it now seats many more than it used to! Host Marriott used to operate all of the food establishments here. It's someone else now. The food is of a better quality, but my gripe is with the food portions. They are not big enough. So, you pay a higher price for smaller food quantities. I personally advise you to eat before getting on the flight if you have the time.

At the H and K split, look to the left....it's the K concourse. Look to the right....it's the H concourse. All other chances for a restaurant lie on both concourses in the form of a McDonald's which is more filling and better prices. None of these restaurants serve healthy food, but it keeps you from starving! The K concourse has 19 gates, and H has 18 gates. Remember, K to your left, H to your right!

A detailed list of all terminals and their services/amenities is available here I advise you to use it because it's the best info you'll get!
In the event that this link fails, I have provided you, my readers, the entire text only copy of everything from FlyChicago, and only that portion of the article remains copyright protected by the City of Chicago.

I left out the shops near the H and K checkpoint because I intended to provide you with the above link. Let's head back the other way into the rotunda building. We're going to head back down the H and K hallway to the Chili's restaurant right next to the escalator leading down to baggage. We're going to make a left hand turn. You'll see a hallway in front of us just down the way. That's the hallway leading into the rotunda. In the rotunda are many restaurants where the food is better, the prices are also better, and you also have a place to purchase some fresh fruit / healthier drinks if you want them. Years ago, the rotunda's upper level used to be the skylight restaurant. It is now home to the Transportation Security Administration. Yep, it's their bosses and other admin stuff!

The rotunda was an important structure to O'Hare because it links all the terminals under one roof! From here, you have access to the G concourse, Terminal two, and walking through terminal 2, you'll find terminal 1. We are still focused on terminal 3, so the G concourse is going to be the most important. Only American Eagle flights will be found here. Walking down G can be confusing, and that's because you'll see that some of the gate numbers seems out of numerical order. Here's your trick: some gates here are actually on a lower level within the same concourse!

Lower level G gates are the following: G4, G16, G17, G18.

Text only copy of terminal three features:

Admiral's Club Gates G8, K6A

ATM Gates H2, H6, K7, L2,

Rotunda & Baggage Claim

Backrub Hub Gate: H2

Currency Exchange: Gate K12

Delta Crown Room: Gate L1

Illinois Lottery: Gate K1

Shoeshine: Gate K2

AltiTunes: Gate H1

Brookstone: Gate H3

Chicago Historical Society: Gate K1

Duty Free Americas: Gates H5, K5

Hudson Book Corner: Gate H4

Hudson Booksellers: Gates G1B, H1, L2

Hudson News & Gifts: Gates G2, G12, H5, H11B,
K2, K4, K5, K12,

Landau Jewelry: Gate H5

Mont Blanc: Gates K3, H4

Spirit of the Red Horse: Gate H1

Sunglass Hut / Watch Station: Gate H2

Wilson's Leather: Gate H6

Bar: Gate K11

Bar & Grill: Gate H14

B-Smoothies Food Court: near Gate K4

Burrito Beach Food Court: near Gate K4

Chicago Bar & Grill Rotunda

Chili's Too: Gates G10, H2

Cinnabon: Gate G5, Food Court at K18

Corner Bakery Rotunda, Food Court: at K18

Deli Bar: Gate L4

Dunkin Donuts Food Court: near Gate H5

Eat A Leaf Salads Food Court: at Gate K18

Facades Bar Food Court: at Gate K15

Fox Sports Sky Box: Gate L10

Gold Coast Dogs: Rotunda

Grab and Go: Gate K12

Great American Bagel Rotunda, Gates H10, K2

Manchu Wok Food Court: near Gate H5,

Rotunda

McDonald's Food Court: near Gate H5,
and Gates H8, K8, L4

Mrs. Fields Cookies: Gate H1

O'Briens Pub Food Court: near Gate H5

Prairie Tap Food Court: near Gate K4

Reggio's Pizza Food Court: near Gate K4

Starbucks Coffee: Upper Level Before Security,
Gates G14, H1, H6, H14,

Food Courts: near Gates K4,
K18, L2 and Baggage Claim

TCBY/Juiceworks: Rotunda, L3

Waterworks: Rotunda

Wolfgang Puck: Gates K1, K12

Nice restaurants and shops, aren't they? Not all of these places are so nice on the bank account, or the spending cash if you carry cash. Thanks to traveling rich folks, businesses are getting rich in O'Hare! Your money becomes the shops's money, then shop's money becomes the city's money, and it's a win win for all! At the time this article was written and published, it shouldn't be forgotten by those flying into O'Hare that getting around at the Arrivals/Baggage level is going to be a pain since it's still under construction on the exterior, so trying to walk down there once you get outside isn't going to be pleasant. Some three years ago, terminal 3 was renovated, which is when everything got all moved around. The renovations do lend themselves to more of a futuristic image. Let me add something noteworthy here: The pedway needs to be heated during the winter and air conditioned during the summer...enough said!

Continue to join me for the tour as it continues onto terminal 2 and the O'Hare Hilton Hotel, next in this multi-part series.