O'Hare Airport (ORD) Terminal Guide 2026

Start with the terminal for your flight

Terminals 1, 2 and 3 form the airport's connected domestic terminal group. Terminal 5 serves many international flights and several domestic airlines. A domestic ticket can therefore take you to Terminal 5, while a precleared international arrival can use another terminal.

The arrival terminal can differ from the airline's departure terminal. ANA, for example, departs from Terminal 1 and arrives at Terminal 5. American and United also use Terminal 5 for international arrivals that require customs processing at O'Hare.

For a codeshare, the operating airline's flight details give the terminal you need. The flight number, date and direction matter more than a familiar airline name alone. Flight-status information and airport signs take precedence if a terminal or gate changes.

• Terminals 1, 2 and 3: connected passenger buildings with a walking route inside security.
• Terminal 5: international processing facilities, domestic airline operations and an Airport Transit System station.
• Airport Transit System: the free landside train connecting all four terminals and the Multi-Modal Facility.
• CTA Blue Line: a separate city train, reached through the lower-level concourse connecting Terminals 1, 2 and 3.

O'Hare terminal guide: airline directory

The table follows the airport's airline directory as checked October 14, 2026. It preserves the published split between departure and arrival terminals. An airline's presence in the directory is a terminal reference, rather than a promise of daily or currently available flights.

The directory specifically marks Air India service as temporarily suspended. International arrivals requiring U.S. customs processing normally use Terminal 5; precleared flights can have a different arrival terminal. Your individual flight status remains the final reference.

What changes between Terminals 1, 2, 3 and 5?

Each terminal has its own ticketing, baggage-claim and roadway access. The terminal number identifies the building; the gate identifies your aircraft's boarding location inside it. A roadside meeting uses a terminal level and door, so keep the gate and curb details separate.

Walking, the ATS and the Terminal Transfer Bus

O'Hare offers different connections depending on whether you are inside security or in the public terminal. The airport train is landside, while the Terminal Transfer Bus is restricted to qualifying connecting passengers. Your boarding pass and arrival process determine which route is available.

International arrivals and the preclearance exception

An international arrival requiring U.S. entry processing follows Terminal 5's immigration, baggage and customs route. All checked luggage must be collected for this process, including bags tagged to a later destination. After customs, Chicago-bound travelers can leave through the public arrivals hall.

Connecting passengers have a baggage-recheck step before continuing to their next flight. O'Hare describes different arrangements for passengers already checked through and those needing their onward airline's counter. Follow the airline's instructions for the specific ticket rather than carrying bags to another terminal unnecessarily.

A connection through Terminals 1, 2 or 3 can then use the ATS and the next terminal's security checkpoint. The airport also describes rescreening at Terminal 5 before taking the airside transfer bus when available. Neither route provides a universal minimum connection time.

Preclearance changes this sequence because U.S. entry formalities take place before departure abroad. O'Hare notes that some precleared flights arrive at Terminal 5 and others at Terminals 1, 2 or 3. The airport specifically mentions destinations in Canada and Ireland among these exceptions.

A precleared arrival should therefore be matched to its actual flight terminal before a car meeting is planned. For a non-precleared flight, the aircraft's landing time precedes immigration, baggage collection and customs. Keep dispatch informed once your party has reached the public arrivals area.

Where to meet a reserved private car

O'Hare publishes the lower-level center lane, called lane 2, as the designated meeting area for prearranged liveries. This rule covers the terminal pickup category used by a reserved chauffeured car. The assigned door comes from the company handling the trip, rather than one universal airport-wide door.

The airport directs arriving passengers to contact their car service after collecting luggage. The company supplies vehicle identification, such as the license plate or description, and the meeting door. Remain with your party until the vehicle and pickup location have been identified.

The Multi-Modal Facility and rental cars

O'Hare's on-airport rental-car operations are housed in the Multi-Modal Facility, reached by the ATS from each terminal. Economy Parking Lot F is also located here. A rental-car passenger follows the MMF signs rather than looking for a company counter in airline baggage claim.

Scheduled regional buses use the MMF, as do Pace buses and the connection toward Metra's O'Hare Transfer station. These services have separate stops and schedules within the broader ground-transport interchange. The MMF is outside the airline terminals, so allow for the airport-train connection when planning onward travel.

Taxi, livery and rideshare loading at the MMF is restricted to Kiss-N-Fly at its northwest corner. The airport identifies door 6 as the access point. A traveler already at the MMF should give that location to dispatch rather than requesting an airline-terminal pickup.

For a normal terminal arrival, the published reserved-car meeting remains the terminal's designated livery lane. An MMF pickup is relevant when your journey starts there, such as after returning a rental vehicle. It is separate from the terminal-door instructions supplied for an arriving flight.

Hotel shuttles and regional buses use different stops

O'Hare's current shuttle guidance moves hotel and off-airport parking pickups from the Bus Shuttle Center to Terminal 2 Arrivals curbside. Some shuttle providers continue to collect at Terminal 5. The hotel or parking operator should confirm which stop serves your reservation.

Older directions may still send a visitor toward the Bus Shuttle Center between the central terminals. The current airport notice is the better reference for finding a hotel shuttle. Once the provider confirms Terminal 2, use airport signs to reach that terminal's arrivals level.

Scheduled regional buses instead load at the Multi-Modal Facility, with an ATS connection from the passenger terminals. Their routes can continue into Illinois, Wisconsin or Indiana, according to the provider's current timetable. The bus departure belongs at the MMF rather than a hotel's Terminal 2 curb.

Before committing to a regional departure, account for the flight's terminal, any customs processing and the train connection. A published bus departure time begins at its loading point. Airport arrival procedures and travel through ORD come before that departure.

Finding the CTA Blue Line and other public trains

The CTA Blue Line station sits in the lower-level concourse connected to Terminals 1, 2 and 3. From these terminals, follow the airport's CTA Trains or Trains to City signs through the pedestrian tunnels. CTA publishes a walk of under ten minutes from each building's baggage claim to the train.

From Terminal 5, CTA directs passengers to ride the ATS to Terminal 2 first. After leaving that station, follow the city-train signs toward the lower-level concourse. The ATS and Blue Line are separate systems, with separate platforms and purposes.

The Blue Line operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. CTA gives a normal O'Hare-to-downtown train journey of 40 to 45 minutes. This is the train ride, before any onward walk, connection or travel to a particular hotel.

Travelers using a station with an elevator should consult CTA's current accessibility and elevator alerts. Construction or service notices can affect a planned journey, even on a round-the-clock line. The current timetable and alerts are more reliable than an old screenshot of airport directions.

Mobility assistance and traveling with a party

Wheelchair assistance and other airline accommodations should be requested directly from the operating airline. O'Hare publishes elevators and accessible drop-off areas, while CTA identifies its airport station as accessible. Assistance through the terminal and suitability of the onward vehicle are separate arrangements.

For an international connection, tell the airline about assistance needs before the journey through customs and recheck. For a city transfer, tell dispatch about mobility equipment and the size of the traveling party. That information helps establish luggage and seating fit without assuming every vehicle has wheelchair access.

When several passengers arrive on different flights, choose a shared meeting terminal before booking one vehicle. Each traveler may have a separate baggage claim or customs exit. A multi-flight pickup needs a meeting plan that reflects those buildings and the party's actual arrival details.

Book the road journey from O'Hare

Our O'Hare airport car service connects the terminal with Chicago hotels, homes and business destinations. Airport pickups include complimentary flight tracking, with 24/7 dispatch available for the meeting details. Vetted chauffeurs, pre-trip vehicle inspections and GPS trip monitoring support the service.

For a city arrival, our O'Hare to downtown car service page covers the onward transfer. Choose the vehicle around your passengers, bags, child seats and mobility equipment using the Chicago fleet guide. For other airport and city planning, return to the Chicago car service guides.