Airports

Chicago has two major airports, O'Hare and Midway, and both have an L train straight into the Loop. That alone puts Chicago ahead of most American cities. Which one you land at mostly depends on your airline. United and American fly into O'Hare. Southwest flies into Midway. Our flights page covers who flies where, and this post covers getting from one airport to the other.

Fares and pickup spots below are as of September 2026, from the CTA, the Chicago Department of Aviation and the city's taxi rate sheet.

O'Hare International Airport (ORD)

O'Hare sits 17 miles northwest of the Loop, and it's enormous. It handled 84.9 million passengers in 2025, sixth in the world, and it has more runways than any other civilian airport, eight in all (Wikipedia). It's a hub for both United and American, which is why fares from other U.S. cities stay competitive year-round.

The terminals

There are four terminals, numbered 1, 2, 3 and 5. There hasn't been a Terminal 4 since international flights moved out of a makeshift one in the parking garage in 1993. Check your airline's terminal before you go, because the terminals are a long way apart.

• Terminal 1 (Concourses B and C) is United's, and Lufthansa and ANA fly from here too. The neon-lit underground walkway between B and C has been there since the terminal opened in 1987.
• Terminal 2 (E and F) handles United Express, Air Canada, JetBlue and some United flights. It's the terminal slated for demolition (more below).
• Terminal 3 (G, H, K and L) is American's, shared with Alaska, Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, Japan Airlines and some United flights. A renovation there is due to finish in 2027 (Chicago YIMBY).
• Terminal 5 (M) is the international terminal. Delta and Frontier fly domestic flights from here too. Every international arrival that didn't clear U.S. customs before departure comes in here, even if you flew United or American. You'll clear customs, collect your bags, and then either leave or ride the train back to Terminals 1 to 3 for a connection.

Terminals 1, 2 and 3 are connected by walkways behind security. Terminal 5 is across the airfield. The free Airport Transit System train runs around the clock between Terminals 1 to 3, Terminal 5 and the Multi-Modal Facility, where the rental car counters are. Going between Terminal 5 and the others means clearing security again, unless you have a same-day connecting flight and can use the airside Terminal Transfer Bus.

O'Hare 21 and the construction

O'Hare is in the middle of a long rebuild, first called O'Hare 21 and now ORDNext. The first piece, a Terminal 5 expansion that added gates and space to the international terminal, has already opened. Next up is a new 19-gate Concourse D, connected to Concourse C, which broke ground in August 2025 and is due to open in late 2028. The city will break ground on the first 14 gates of a new Concourse E later this year, with an opening in 2030. That lets Terminal 2 be torn down and replaced by the O'Hare Global Terminal, now scheduled for 2033, with the last Concourse E gates in 2034 (City of Chicago, August 2026). For travelers, that means detours, moved bus stops and signs that change between trips for years. Give yourself extra time.

Getting downtown from O'Hare

The Blue Line is the way to go for most people. The CTA station is on the lower level of the main parking garage. From Terminals 1, 2 and 3, follow the "Trains to City" signs through the tunnels. From Terminal 5, take the Airport Transit System to Terminal 2 or 3 first. The Blue Line runs 24 hours a day and takes about 40 minutes to the Loop, stopping at Clark/Lake, Washington, Monroe and Jackson under Dearborn Street. Two stops later, Clinton is the one for Union Station and the Greyhound station.

The fare is $5 when you board at O'Hare, compared with $2.50 anywhere else. You can tap a contactless credit card or phone at the gate, or use a Ventra card. The $5 fare includes up to two transfers within two hours. If you'll ride the L more than once that day, buy a 1-Day CTA/Pace Pass instead. It also costs $5, it covers the O'Hare fare, and you get 24 hours of unlimited rides. A 3-Day pass is $15 and is sold from the vending machines at O'Hare and Midway (CTA fares). Trains are crowded at rush hour and quiet late at night, so keep an eye on your bags either way.

Taxis wait at the stands outside baggage claim on the lower level of each terminal. Use the stand, and turn down anyone offering a ride inside the terminal or on the departures level. The airport still quotes an average fare to downtown of about $50, but that figure predates the city's July 1, 2026 meter increase, which added a $2.50 rush-hour surcharge (3:30 to 7pm) and a $1 overnight surcharge (8pm to 6am). Every taxi leaving the airport also adds a $4 state departure tax. If there's a line for the cab stand, ask about the shared ride. It's a flat $30 per person to downtown or McCormick Place when the dispatcher can group you with other passengers.

Uber and Lyft pick up on the Upper Level (departures) at Terminals 2 and 3, at numbered poles (orange signs 2A to 2G at Terminal 2, green signs 3G to 3K at Terminal 3). There's an indoor waiting area at Terminal 2 between vestibules 2A and 2D. Your app tells you which pole. Hotel and off-airport parking shuttles pick up at the Terminal 2 arrivals curb.

Metra has an O'Hare Transfer station on its North Central Service, behind the Multi-Modal Facility (take the Airport Transit System there). It goes to Union Station, but only in the peak direction on weekday rush hours, with no service on weekends or holidays (Metra). For most visitors, the Blue Line is easier.

Regional buses leave from the Multi-Modal Facility too: Van Galder to Rockford, Janesville and Madison, and Peoria Charter Coach to Champaign, Normal and Peoria (details).

>> Hotels near O'Hare

Midway International Airport (MDW)

Midway is on the Southwest Side, about 12 miles from the Loop. It was Chicago's main airport until O'Hare took over in the jet age, and it's still busy, with 19.4 million passengers in 2025. Southwest is by far the biggest airline here. Frontier, Delta, Allegiant and Volaris fly from Midway too, and Porter's flights to Toronto end October 24, 2026 (Wikipedia). AirTran, mentioned in the old version of this page, was folded into Southwest in 2014. And despite what the old version said, Midway does have real international service now, to a string of Mexican cities and to Punta Cana and Montego Bay.

It's one terminal with 43 gates on three concourses, A, B and C, and it's a much easier airport to deal with than O'Hare. The walk from curb to gate is shorter and there's less to find your way around. Security lines still build at busy times, so don't take the size of the place as permission to cut it close.

Getting downtown from Midway

The Orange Line station is just east of the terminal, at the end of an enclosed walkway through the parking garage (follow "Trains to City"). Trains take 20 to 25 minutes to the Loop, then run around the elevated Loop tracks and head back to Midway. The fare is the standard $2.50. Note that State/Lake on the Loop is closed for rebuilding into 2029, so use Clark/Lake or Washington/Wabash instead.

The Orange Line doesn't run all night yet. Weekday trains leave Midway from about 3:30am until 1:05am, and the last train back from the Loop leaves around 1:30am. Weekend service starts later in the morning (CTA Orange Line). The CTA has said it will start 24-hour service on the Orange Line in 2026 (Sun-Times), but as of mid-September the published hours hadn't changed. Late at night, the N62 Archer night bus runs between Midway and downtown.

Taxis line up on the lower level inner lane at Door 2. The airport quotes an average of $35 to $40 to downtown, again from before the July 2026 increase. The shared-ride flat rate to downtown or McCormick Place is $22 per person.

Uber and Lyft pick up on the lower level center lane outside baggage claim, Doors 2 to 4, in lettered zones A to F. City and suburban buses (nine CTA routes and several Pace routes) stop at the Midway Transportation Center next to the Orange Line station.

>> Hotels near Midway

Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (MKE)

Milwaukee's airport, on the city's south side, is worth checking when Chicago fares are high or you're headed to the northern suburbs anyway. Southwest, Delta, United, American, Frontier, Alaska and Sun Country all fly there. The airport has its own Amtrak stop on the Hiawatha line, which runs six round trips a day to Union Station (five on Sunday), so you can land and go straight to the train without a car. See getting from Milwaukee to Chicago for the details, and our getting to Chicago page for everything else.