Layover in ORD or ATL or DFW?

[Sundiego]

We are arriving at the Manhattan cruise terminal following a transatlantic cruise In November. We need to get from New York to Tucson. We have pretty much decided to depart out of LGA. Obviously there are zero non-stop flights but there are many one-stop options.  Assuming all of them have similar departure times and layover times (we have plenty of time to make connections), does anyone have opinions on layovers at ORD vs ATL vs DFW?  Where would 2-1/2 hours be least painful?

 

We are familiar with ATL and comfortable with it, but it's Delta and tends to be pricier. Every time we've been routed through DFW we've had issues. I know nothing about Chicago/ORD.  We do have a fourth option with United via IAH if anyone wants to chime in on that airport.

 

I realize this is a huge open-ended question, but I appreciate any feedback from all you frequent flyers!

 

Denise

 

[Sny]

I like ORD.  November is early enough that snow should not be a factor (knock on wood).  You would have enough time to catch a bite to eat from the many fine options.  American and United are the major players there.  

[rkacruiser]

I have flown through all three of the airports.  I prefer ATL.  

[kelkel2]

What airline are you traveling with? 
My vote is Atlanta. I wouldn’t want to do O’Hare unless you have a decently long layover, rit’s huge and isn’t the easiest to navigate quickly if need be.

Edited to add: sorry I just read it’s delta. I would do Atlanta as that’s Delta’s hub. I feel like they do connections, luggage moving etc really well there, maybe they do well in general…but I feel like if you had any issues there’s plenty of other delta flights to get on in Atlanta just in case. 

Edited July 31, 2022 by kelkel2

[Sundiego]

2 hours ago, kelkel2 said:

What airline are you traveling with? 
My vote is Atlanta. I wouldn’t want to do O’Hare unless you have a decently long layover, rit’s huge and isn’t the easiest to navigate quickly if need be.

Edited to add: sorry I just read it’s delta. I would do Atlanta as that’s Delta’s hub. I feel like they do connections, luggage moving etc really well there, maybe they do well in general…but I feel like if you had any issues there’s plenty of other delta flights to get on in Atlanta just in case. 

Hi, thanks for replying. Our choices are Delta in Atlanta, or AA if we opt for ORD or DFW. United is IAH. All are similar prices so the layover airport is really the deciding factor. I am tracking the pricing of a few through Google flights.

 

Denise

[rkacruiser]

5 hours ago, Sundiego said:

AA if we opt for ORD

 

I found flying on AA out of ORD to be not very pleasant.  (I was flying on one of their American Eagle flights.)  It was a very long way after checking in to the gate.  The waiting area at the gate was small and crowded with some seats not in good condition.  

[ericosmith]

The AA terminal in ORD is just too small for the amount of traffic.  The terminal is usually jammed with people and just feels way too crowded most of the time.

[Covepointcruiser]

United in ORD is great.   Love the moving sidewalk between hubs and there are plenty of lounges if you qualify or want to pay the $50.   It is their hub and headquarters so if they have an aircraft maintenance problem a substitute aircraft can be found along with more crew.    

[6rugrats]

UA has seven US hubs.  UA one time use day passes are $59.  I was at ORD last week, and they were not accepting day passes @ any UA Club.  Just depends on how busy they are.

25 minutes ago, Covepointcruiser said:

United in ORD is great.   Love the moving sidewalk between hubs and there are plenty of lounges if you qualify or want to pay the $50.   It is their hub and headquarters so if they have an aircraft maintenance problem a substitute aircraft can be found along with more crew.    

 

Edited August 9, 2022 by 6rugrats

[Sue Do-Over]

Sounds like you'll have to do customs and then get from the international terminal to the domestic terminal no matter which airport you're in. 

In my experience it's a long (long) walk between terminals, but ORD feels the least direct.  I feel like I go a mile down a concourse, through the glass tunnel, and down another concourse every time I pass through.

[mhb1757]

Personally I’d do almost anything to avoid ORD. The AA area is always crowded and dirty.  The UA area looks better but it’s UA so they specialize in changing gates, losing flight crews, mishandling baggage and in general mucking things up. Last week our gate changed 3 times in 2 hours and then we sat there another hour because the pilot “was somewhere in the airport but cannot be located”. 🤪🤪🤪

ATL is much easier to navigate IMHO especially when arriving from an international destination. moving between concourses is easy and quick. DFW isn’t bad…not my favorite but AA pretty much owns the place and it’s not hard to navigate. 

[Sundiego]

Original poster here! We switched up our plans and decided to fly direct non-stop JFK-PHX. We live near Tucson and we'll just do a one-way car rental from Phoenix to Tucson. 

 

We flew to Cabo San Lucas with a connection at Lax in February. The day of our flight, Delta notified us via early morning text that one of our flights was cancelled. We're still feeling the burn from that. A huge hassle (if you've ever had to change planes @ LAX you know what I'm talking about!). Anyway, the direct flight became our priority but thanks for all the feedback!

 

Denise

[rkacruiser]

6 hours ago, Sundiego said:

Anyway, the direct flight became our priority

 

Always the best choice in my opinion.  

[FlyerTalker]

1 hour ago, rkacruiser said:

Always the best choice in my opinion.  

 

And I would take almost anything rather than a non-stop 3 hour flight in a CRJ 200.

[Sundiego]

4 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

And I would take almost anything rather than a non-stop 3 hour flight in a CRJ 200.

No way could I get my husband on that aircraft lol.