Previously, the lack of such flexibility has meant that, over the years, O'Hare's original 189 gates were reduced to 184, as the average wingspan of aircraft increased as a way to save fuel.Īt the end of the entire project, gate capacity will increase by 25%, and the overall square footage of passenger terminals will go from about five million square feet today to just under nine million square feet. It also aims to be more efficient for airlines, thanks to a new baggage handling system that boasts automated storage for 5,000 bags, and more flexible gates - capable of handling widebody aircraft and then quickly reconfiguring for smaller ones. That will make room for several amenities including nursing rooms, yoga studios, and a variety of food and beverage options. RELATED: Summer 2022 could be busiest travel season since before COVIDĪt 2.2 million square feet, the Global Terminal will be 75% bigger than the existing Terminal 2, and one of the largest in the US. The roof will be clad in wood, with pleats oriented to maximize natural daylight. Similarly, the new terminal building will be Y-shaped, with a six-pointed glass skylight positioned at the meeting of the branches. It's an encircled Y symbol that represents the north and south branches of the Chicago river coming together, and can be found throughout the city on buildings, fences, lamp posts and bridges. The design of the new building is the result of a competition won by Chicago's Studio ORD, and is inspired by a city icon, the Municipal Device. 'In the new Terminal 2, called O'Hare Global Terminal, passengers will be able to clear US Customs, return to the secure area and be only minutes away from their departing gate - without needing to ride a train to a different terminal or tow bags across the airfield,' says Hoxie. Work started in March 2020, when the world was going into lockdown for the coronavirus outbreak: 'The pandemic has been universally unhelpful to our business, but having a less crowded terminal has enabled us to work more efficiently and more quickly than we thought we'd be able to,' says Hoxie.Īn even bigger investment, $2.2 billion, will go into a completely new terminal dedicated to international traffic, which will rise on the soon-to-be-demolished Terminal 2 - the oldest facility still in use today.Īt the moment, O'Hare has a single international terminal that is separate from the domestic one, so passengers on connecting flights have to switch terminals. The upgrades include 10 new gates, a new baggage handling system and new security checkpoints. Delta will also move here later in the fall. The terminal will no longer be focused on international flights but on carriers that are simply moving passengers to and from Chicago, including low-cost carriers like Spirit.

'We're spending more than a billion dollars to revamp Terminal 5, expanding its capacity but also modernizing its systems,' says Hoxie.

Some areas of the new Terminal 5, which is being refurbished now, have already opened to the public. It's a long-term plan - works won't be completed until 2028 at the earliest - but just like the runway modernization, it will be delivered progressively, upgrading the airport piece by piece. The lion's share of the investments will go into modernizing the terminals, which will transform the passenger experience at O'Hare.

The big-ticket items are an entirely new 'global' terminal, two new satellite concourses for Terminal 1, and a complete makeover of the existing Terminal 5 - but the plan includes almost 100 separate projects, many of which are smaller but functional improvements, such as upgrades to parking garages, new water mains and electrical distribution systems, and refurbished underground pedestrian tunnels.

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