how long to get from terminal 1 to terminal 5 at O'Hare

[Kellie in Texas]

Looking at a flight from Austin to Copenhagen. First leg is Austin to Chicago O'Hare. I think this flight arrives at terminal 1, so we need to get to terminal 5 for the international departure on SAS. Our layover is about 2 1/2 hours. This would be at the end of May, so (hopefully!!) no snow storms.

 

Questions:

1. Is that enough time?

2. Is there a shuttle or tram from terminal 1 to terminal 5?

3. Will we need to collect our bags from the first flight and then re-check and go back through security once we get to terminal 5?

 

Thanks for the help!

[Zach1213]

Looking at a flight from Austin to Copenhagen. First leg is Austin to Chicago O'Hare. I think this flight arrives at terminal 1, so we need to get to terminal 5 for the international departure on SAS. Our layover is about 2 1/2 hours. This would be at the end of May, so (hopefully!!) no snow storms.

 

Questions:

1. Is that enough time?

2. Is there a shuttle or tram from terminal 1 to terminal 5?

3. Will we need to collect our bags from the first flight and then re-check and go back through security once we get to terminal 5?

 

Thanks for the help!

 

1. Should be fine if the flight is on-time.

2. There is a train. Follow the signs. Takes about 10 minutes at most (from T1 stop to T5 stop)

3. If you're all on one ticket, the bag should be checked through as United and SAS have an interline agreement (and are part of the same alliance)

[grandma*knows*best]

I definitely think you can make it between these terminals in less than 2 1/2 hours! It's a big airport, but not that big. Your bag will be transferred to your international flight.

[thechicagoans]

That's a pretty easy connection. Also, assuming this is one ticket, even if your UA AUS - ORD flight is delayed, you'll be protected and can be booked on the next flight.

 

The only negative is that SK 944 departs ORD at 10:05 PM from Terminal 5 and is one of the last transatlantic flights of the night out of ORD. In case you are delayed upon arrival and just barely miss the connection OR something is wrong with the plane and the flight is cancelled, your only option left for the night will be on Lufthansa: LH 433 from Terminal 1 at 10:30 PM.

 

That being said, this is rare and you should be fine. The layover time is more than sufficient.

 

Final thought to keep in mind: SK does not participate in TSA PreCheck so if you're used to that, budget a little extra time for security. There aren't too many flights out of T5 that late so it shouldn't be too bad.

[4774Papa]

Every time we have gone through O'Hare (we hate the airport), we transfer to another terminal via the train and have to go through full security all over again. Not like Atlanta, were it is only people in transit, but people just coming to the airport. Clearing security once took us almost 45 minutes. For one thing, people were cutting in line ahead of us. Now, I avoid airports like O'Hare and JFK.

[MommaBear55]

Every time we have gone through O'Hare (we hate the airport), we transfer to another terminal via the train and have to go through full security all over again. Not like Atlanta, were it is only people in transit, but people just coming to the airport. Clearing security once took us almost 45 minutes. For one thing, people were cutting in line ahead of us. Now, I avoid airports like O'Hare and JFK.

 

I have not had to go through security again while taking the trains. They are in a secured area. However, I have only traveled within the US through O'Hare. This may be different if you are then traveling out if the US

[daffodiliaz]

We had a similar UA-SAS connection time at O'Hare this past September. Stressful days leading up to that trip. I think our T1 and T5 gates were just about as far apart as they could possibly get. I didn't find the signage to get to the train to be all that great so that added a couple minutes to the journey. When we finally made it to T5 security the line just stopped. I don't know if it was a shift change or what. There were at least a few big planes departing that late so hundreds of passengers. We were able to make a quick water purchase (there was a bottle of water at each plane seat, btw) and freshen up a bit. By that time our flight to CPH was boarding.

 

It was all very stressful and I wouldn't do it again without a longer connection but that what a schedule change did to us. 2.5 hrs doesn't leave much cushion.

[Kellie in Texas]

Thanks for everyone's replies and suggestions. We booked this flight yesterday, so we're going to get to experience the joys of O'Hare ourselves. ;)

 

This will be our first flight overseas (oldest son flew last year to Copenhagen to visit a friend). And this will be our first flight anywhere in four years. We are usually vacation drivers, not fliers. But it's hard to drive to Europe from Texas! :D

[frugaltravel]

I have not had to go through security again while taking the trains. They are in a secured area. However, I have only traveled within the US through O'Hare. This may be different if you are then traveling out if the US

 

No trains at ORD within the secure area. It is outside the secure area.

[Zach1213]

Every time we have gone through O'Hare (we hate the airport), we transfer to another terminal via the train and have to go through full security all over again.

 

That's usually the case, and it's indeed a pain. However, there is at least one exception that I know of and take advantage of - AA and BA. If you fly in on a domestic AA flight and have a connection on BA, flash your BA boarding pass and there's a bus to get you from T3 to T5 without having to re-clear security. Starts around 4pm or so.