One common frustration for travelers with premium credit cards is that there’s no Amex, Chase, or Capital One lounge at Chicago O’Hare airport. And they just want to know why.
One of the busiest airports in the country and I’m sitting here among plebs with a three hour flight today…
It’s not for lack of trying! A decade ago Amex had a pop up there. And they told me at the time they badly wanted a permanent lounge.
Chicago is also an important hub for our Card Members. We’d love to have a Centurion Lounge there if we can find the right space.
A lot of travelers think that it’s United and American blocking banks from opening lounges. That’s only part of the story.
- Chicago O’Hare’s terminal layout and age create a major problem for opening lounges like these. Unlike more modern hubs, the airport’s domestic terminals (Terminals 1–3) have no excess real estate or second level concourse space that could easily house a large new lounge. Every bit of gate frontage is needed for flights. Space is the biggest issue though that’s being addressed by ongoing construction.
- Terminals 1 and 3 are essentially the fiefdoms of United and American. They operate their own clubs and do have veto power over use of space in those terminals. On the one hand, a credit card lounge in an airline’s terminal is an incentiv for that bank’s cardmembers to fly the airline! On the other hand, it’s a reason for hometown flyers not to join the airline’s lounge membership program – which makes them more of a free agent flyer.
Delta’s terminal 5 Sky Club opened in 2022 – it was able to do this project in the international terminal, not controlled by a single airline. Then United took over their old terminal 2 lounge for a United Club.
The airport’s Terminal 2 is being rebuilt into the new “Global Terminal,” and that will change the lounge outlook at O’Hare.
- There are two large lounge footprints on the mezzanine level at the north and southeast ends of the Y‑shaped building, totaling 30,000 – 40,000 square feet each. United will open a new Polaris lounge and United Club, while Ameircan will open a new Flagship lounge and Admirals Club.
- There’s also a 20,000 square foot site in the central oculus. This will be a common use / third party lounge that’s supposed to be awarded around 2027.
- And there’s an 8,000 – 12,000 foot parcel for a contract lounge, probably Plaza Premium or Swissport, that would be used by non-alliance carriers like Emirates and Etihad.
United’s block (west side, facing concourse B/C connector) should have a Polaris lounge on level 2 plus a two‑level United Club stacked above part of it.
American’s block (east side toward Terminal 3 connector) would be of similar scale with a 20,000 square foot Admirals Club co‑located with a new 18,000 square foot Flagship Lounge. There appears to premium check‑in area immediately below this lounge setup.
The central Oculus mezzanine is shown in renderings as “commercial/amenity space” with airfield views, and won’t be taken by anchor airlines American or United. I’d expect Amex, Capital One and Chase to all bid on this space.
The contract lounge by the customs exit is needed for non-aligned airlines. It could be a Priority Pass-accessible lounge as well.
Meanwhile, satellite 1 and 2 will each have a modest 10,000 square foot lounge space. One will almost certainly be a pay‑in and Priority Pass lounge along the lines of The Club (the other might be taken by American or more probably United, which has more flights and lounges at O’Hare today and seems more likely willing to make capital investments).
In the 2018 master lease the hub airlines obtained veto power inside the space they control either on an exclusive or preferential basis. They do not control common use space or mezzanine pads.
- Article IV §§4.03 and 4.06 – “Exclusive Use Premises” Any lounge that an airline builds inside its leased footprint is deemed exclusive use; the City cannot force the carrier to sub‑let it.
- Article IV §4.11 – Each signatory’s lounge space is capped at the square‑footage shown on the 2018 baseline drawing plus 15%. If the airline wants more, it must ask for a Major Space Alteration—which needs majority‑in‑interest carrier approval.
- Article XV §15.03 – Before the City can lease any club space inside a signatory’s exclusive or preferential area to a third‑party (e.g., Amex, Chase), it must give that airline first right to take the space. If the airline says “no,” the City may proceed—but only if the Majority In Interest carriers do not object.
So when will we see lounges? If I’m following the plot here correctly, and much of this changes and also gets delayed:
- 2026: Global Temrinal structural steel goes up, mezzanine demising plans finalized and Tenant Coordination Manual published.
- 2027: RFP for Airport Club Concession should be released for banks and contract lounge operators to bid, and United and American should lock in their exact square footage.
- 2028: Satellite 1 opens, and I expect we see a temporary United club.
- 2029: Fit out of club interiors.
- 2030: Global Terminal opens, old Polaris and Flagship lounges in T1C and T3H become domestic clubs, while a bank lounge finally opens. This timing almost certainly slips…
We haven’t had a bank club so far because of space and because if space was available in terminals 1 or 3 United and American would almost certainly block it. But the new Global Terminal accounts for this.
LOL at ” I’m sitting here among plebs…” The fact is, unless you’re in a Flagship Lounge or other genuinely excluding airport joint, you’re “sitting with plebs.”
What can ya do, huh? The great unwashed are everywhere.
Thanks for this overview. I’m an information volunteer at O’Hare and get asked constantly about the airport’s different lounges. There’s a huge amount of wrong information on the internet about lounges. Couple of fixes, please: O’Hare’s Terminal 5 is no longer the international terminal. All of O’Hare’s terminals have plenty of international departures. Terminal 5, which now has more domestic departures than international, could maybe … maybe … be called the international arrivals terminal because U.S. Customs is currently there and most international arrivals land there – but each terminal has a few international arrivals, too. Also … United turned Delta’s old space in Terminal 2 into a United Club, not a Sky Club.
I went to the worst Priority Club lounge in Chicago that I have been to anywhere in the world, except maybe JoJakarta. Everything about it was bad. Amazing that was the best Chicago had to offer.
Delta has a very nice Skyclub in Termnal 1 but you you cannot access Terminal 1 from any other terminal at O’Hare without having to go through security again.
Sorry – Delta Skyckuyb is in Terminal 5, not Terminal 1.
Any thoughts why AA hasn’t used the old flagship space at the end of K for something else? I know it’s not a big space, but could be a way for AA to show the city that they are committed to Chicago given their current legal issues. Maybe the next location for Provisions by Admirals Club?
For such a global and cosmopolitan city Chicago’s airports are a sad, obsolete mess. Poor amenities. Awful clubs. Lousy food. Need to tear it down and start over.
@Elaine — The Swissport? My layovers have always been too short but given its reputation I always wanted to see how bad it was haha. No bathrooms? “Food”? Oof.
Any comments on the proposed $250 fee to visit the US?
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/07/18/visa-integrity-fee-what-to-know-about-new-travel-fee-to-enter-the-us-.html
@Parker United’s terminal one was built in the late 80s and was state of the art. It’s still a good terminal. ORD is building new terminals as Gary said.
@Jon Ziomek Once the new terminals are done will there be customs and immigration in the new terminals or terminal 1 so arriving flights don’t need to go to 5? I thought I read that. Are the international flights that don’t go to Terminal 5 currently flights only from places like Canada that have immigration at the departure airport?
This article confirms OHare is the worst major city airport for lounges. The Priority Pass lounge at Midway sad to say is the best non airline lounge in the city and state. And we have to wait at least 5 years for maybe a non airline lounge? The Swiss Port lounge in T5 is a joke too.
@allan Fromm I am pretty sure there is a bus on the airside connecting terminal 5 to 1 and 3 so you don’t have to go back through security..
@Cloud Minder – I would respectfully disagree. While the architectural design of the terminal has stood the test of time (iconic, light-filled and one of my favorites in the US), the operational aspects of terminal 1 leave a lot to be desired. Specifically:
1. security areas designed pre-9/11, limiting ability to accommodate current volumes and needs.
2. wide-body gates spread across two concourses, making connectivity to Polaris lounge highly variable.
3. as pointed out in the article, no concourse space for private lounges.
4. retail, food and amenities lag behind newer concourses in terms of number, size, accessibility and quality.
5. International to domestic connections and vice-verse between T5 and T1 are abysmal (and this IS a reflection on T1 as it should have been designed to accommodate international arrivals)
ORD was best-in-class…30 years ago. ORD and UA are competing against the likes of HKG, SIN, IST, DOH and DXB along with the airlines who serve them. I doesn’t hold a candle to the airport-airline pairs that exist in these markets. That is the strategic challenge UA (and AA) needs to solve.
To me, even though ORD is huge, one of its greatest strengths was that I could walk between terminals once through security. The addition –and expansion –of T5, which isn’t connected to the other terminals, is a game changer but not in a good way. Lounges aside, I prefer to use the older terminals. That’s because they link up better with ground services. If renting a car, you have to take a people nover regardless of terminal but by the time it gets to the T5 stop, it’s often very full. If you want to use a ride share service, you have to go to one of the older terminals and the people mover is already full of passengers who have returned rental cars or are coming from long-term parking. Ditto for using the CTA Blue Line train, which many of us “plebs” find useful when the Kennedy Expressway is backed up (which seems to be most of the time). T5 just seems inefficient to me as compared to the older terminals.
@steve from Seattle
Terminal 5 is connected to 1 and 3 airside by bus, but not walking. How often do you go to Chicago from Seattle? I live in the area so I don’t connect, rent a car or take CTA since I am in the suburbs. The CTA is pretty slow. I doubt most business people take the CTA when they are going downtown. They probably just get a cab/uber on the company’s dime
I still like terminal 2 with its low ceilings and labarynth passageways.
@Parker They are improving it with the 2 new satellite terminals and new terminal 2 which should make things better. I believe they will have international arrivals not just in T5. The terminals will line up by alliances so someone coming in on Lufthansa or Swiss Air etc can easily transfer onto a domestic UA flight in the same terminal.
When they built the new United 1 in the 80s, United didn’t have nearly as many international flights then so maybe that is why they didn’t incorporate international arrivals into terminal 1. The O’hare site is pretty tight too so not a lot of space.
Given Chi-town’s history/reputation, at least SOME people are raking in the $$$, while the rest of the traveling public ‘languish’ in substandard facilities….
And, sadly, the best the US airlines can hope for is a distant 2nd place, compare to the likes of most Asian carriers & the ME3…
You can’t get into a United club with your one time credit card award passes on any weekend or busy holiday!! Such a rip off!!
The more the merrier.
At ORD, if Delta is still doing board-from-the-lounge for that one gate that serves the LGA flights, I think that’s pretty cool.
I wanna hear from @O’Hare Is My Second Home!
@Cloudminder1 the ORD modernization project has been moving with the speed of ORD during a snowstorm. The LGA rebuild has started and finished while ORD has barely touched the terminals, beyond the T5 expansion and L-stinger.
Everyone wants to claim ORD is not that bad. All I can say is: E/F/G all speak for themselves. T5 speaks for itself. Rideshare mess speaks for itself. ORD is not the worst, but it’s pretty far down the list.
1990: I have United Club and Admirals’ Club memberships. I carry a Priority Pass membership for those times that I can’t utilize my other memberships. I also don’t go into Terminal 5 because I can’t stand the smell of Delta. So credit card lounges are irrelevant to me. I don’t care what anyone else thinks about this situation at ORD. I love my home airport and that’s that. I do hate Tortas Fronteras, though.
Must. Have. Lounge. Cannot…fly…without…lounge.
A lot of plebes in the lounges too.
ORD is even more mediocre than SLC. But still Preferable to EWR and DFW
@Boraxo — You apparently haven’t been to SLC or EWR in a while because each is significantly better than before. Both have new SkyClubs (new terminal at SLC, and Terminal A at EWR), new Admirals Club at EWR Terminal A as well, and new United Club at EWR Terminal A and two renovated (one expanded) at Terminal C.
I love how they pretend like they don’t have any space but there’s plenty of space for United and American to put up new lounges all the time. I will be really surprised if any new lounges are put in that take priority pass. If Swissport does get the contract I expect the same level of quality as their horrible lounge in terminal 5. That’s another priority pass joke as they rarely let members in but reap the benefits of being in network.
@Joseph — Ah, yes, the commoners, the mere peasants, the proletariat, those are who fill the lounges these days, not the good ole days of only true aristocrats, and maybe a few artsy members of the bourgeoisie, sipping their martinis before jet setting to St. Barths. Have the poors no decency anymore? /s
The new LOT lounge in T5 is very good.
ORD has more than twice the land area of LAX but is only a little ahead of LAX in total passengers. In 2019, LAX was ahead. ORD is a mess. Runways and terminals spread out. It could be rebuilt to have fewer runways and terminals while allowing the new, larger terminals to collectively serve more passengers with ease. Further by rebuilding, it would have extra room for lounges.
Of the passenger terminals at ORD, only T5 has an FIS facility with CBP processing passengers.
The only international passenger flights coming into ORD at other than T5 are flights from foreign airports with CBP Preclearance at those foreign airports.
Does anyone really expect the 2030 opening date to hold?
It took 3 years for ORD to redo their inter-terminal train. Building an entirely new terminal in 4 years sounds like a stretch.
@jns LAX is close in terms of passenger volume because it has many more TPAC widebody flights. ORD is far ahead in plane movements, thus requiring more runways and more land space.
@Parker,
The terminal rebuild has barely started. It’s not fair to say LGA started and completed before ORD when the first 15 years of the project were spent redoing and expanding runways, which anyone can tell you is far more difficult than building new terminals *cough*LHR*cough*.
The runway project has given ORD a whopping 6 parallel and 2 cross runways, more than any other civilian airport in the world. After that, there have been several years of reconfiguring taxiways, apron space, etc. to catch the rest of the airport up with the new runway config, plus get ready for the terminal constructions.
I’m not saying the project hasn’t been delayed. The original plans called for the satellite terminals to be completed by now, I believe. But the delays aren’t as egregious as they appear given that ORD had to first essentially drop a brand new runway config on its land while still operating at full capacity.
After the delay from COVID, work has finally started and I suspect at least the satellite terminals will complete without too much delay. The OGT is likely another matter and may need to be renegotiated when it’s time to start it.
@jns — Oh, an airport land area comparison! You say ORD is large. DEN would like a word; 33,531 acres (52.4 sq. mi.). It’s significantly larger than the second-largest, DFW, which covers 17,207 acres (26.9 sq. mi.)
T1 was great to traverse the concourse, now all the concessions are blocking you from waking on a busy day! It’s grid lock on the concourse.
The cities of Los Angeles and Chicago have had a rivalry for a long time.
@Gary Leff Please do spell check before posting because your unprofessional misspellings are distracting.
T1 was better with moving sidewalks!!!