O’Hare is expected to see a 7.1% increase in passengers from 2024’s spring break travel period. Friday, March 21, is projected to be O’Hare’s busiest day, with more than 279,000 passengers expected to pass through its terminals. Midway’s peak is anticipated on Saturday, March 29, with over 56,000 passengers projected.
Visitors and residents traveling through Chicago’s airports are reminded of several key points:
Preventing Traffic Congestion
- Cell Phone Lots are free at both airports. Avoid circling the terminals—use designated waiting areas until arriving passengers are ready for pickup. The O’Hare Cell Phone Lot is at 560 N. Bessie Coleman Drive; Midway’s is at West 61st Street and South Cicero Avenue.
- Kiss n’ Fly drop-offs allow for quicker curbside access. At Midway, drop-off is at West 59th Street and South Kilpatrick Avenue; O’Hare passengers can be dropped off at the Multi-Modal Facility (MMF) at10255 W.Zemke Blvd.and boardthe Airport Transit System(ATS)for aquick ride toal lterminals.
- Public transit options include:
- CTA Blue Line offers24/7 servicetoO'Hare whileCTA Orange LineservicesMidwa ystartingat4a.m.bothofferfrequentfastservicehelpingpassengersavoidcurbsidecrow dsreducingcongestionintheprocess.
- Metra'sNorthCentralServiceoffersweekdayservicebetweenUnionStationindowntow nChicagoandO'HareTransferstationadjacenttotheMMFwithaccesstotheATS.
- Pace'sPulseDempsterLineoffersdirectservicetoO'HarefromEvanstonSkokieNilesP arkRidgeandothersuburbs.
Kennedy Expressway Construction – O’Hare
The Illinois DepartmentofTransportationisinthefinalphaseoftheKennedyExpresswa yreconstructionprojectsettoconcludebylate2025.Driversshouldbeawareof:
- Outbound reversible express lanes are closed diverting allO'Haret raffictolo callanesexpectsignificantdelaysespeciallyduringpeakhourstraveltimefromdowntown ChicagoOH ar ecouldrangefromonetotwohours
- Toreducecongestionpassengersstronglyencouragedusepublictransportationoption ssuchasCTABlueLineMetra
Checking Updates on Parking Before You Leave
- T ocheckstatusparkinglotsbeforeleavingfortheairportgotoFlyChicago comEconomyLo tsoftenreachcapacityduringbusyholidaytravelperiodsPassengersshouldconsiderbook ingparkingspotaheadtimebyvisitingFlyChicago comreviewlotstatussetadvanceparkin gres ervationsbothOH ar eMidway
-AtOH ar esTerminal5CDAopened sixstoryparkinggaragelastNovemberwhichmoredoubl esnumberoverallavailableparkingspacesterminalservesbothdomesticinternationaltr avelersDriverscanwaitarrivingpassengersCellPhoneLotparkhourlyparkingMainParki ngGarage rid eATSTerminal5
-AtMidwayTerminalParkingGarageshorttermlongtermparkingoptionsavailable
Arriving Early
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and U.S.Customs Border Prote ctionmayexperiencelongerthanusualwaittimessecuritycheckpointsgiveninfluxtrave lersRealt imeupdatesOH ar eTSAcheckpointsavailableFlyChicago comAtOH ar ECLEARLanesen rollmentoptionsavailableTerminal5PreCheckeligibletrav elersstandardsecurityCLEA RLanesalsoavailableOH ar eTerminals12wellMidwayToexpedit escreeningprocesstravelersshoul dconsultTSAguidelinesensuretherearenoprohibiteditems carryoncheckedbaggageallfoodspackedaccordanceTSArulesregardingliquids
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