r m a h

i appreciate all the input on my previous inquiry! awesome.

since i have 7 hrs in ORD, i am really mainly concerned about food/drink/computers. so i am not concerned with how nice a lounge is, but rather it's resources. any comparison/contrast advice of delta sky club versus all the united clubs versus admirals club as to EXACTLY what is/is not available?

sorry for all the inquiries about this, but i will be buying a day pass and don't want to burn bridges! i want to know about the bridges first! ha

thx again,
cb

cheltzel

cb -

What airlines are you flying? With 7 hours you will have plenty of time to cruise the airport but you will probably want to end up at a club near your departure gate. For example, if you are departing on an international flight out of T5, there is no easy connection between T5 and the three domestic terminals.

I can speak to UA and to a certain extent AA. Of all the UA lounges, the T2 lounge is the newest/nicest. There are 3 clubs in T1. Of these, I prefer the club in the C concourse as it is the largest and has great tarmac views. The food/beverage included in a day pass will be minimal. If you want somethign better you have to pay for it. The wi-fi is at best OK. Often the wi-fi can be overloaded. All of the United Clubs can be heavily crowded at times.

For AA, I have only been to the Admirals Club at the H/K concourse hallway in T3. It is (IMO) nicer than the UA clubs. But as with the UA clubs, the food/beverage included with a day pass will be minimal and you will have to pay for anything above that. The wi-fi is better than the UA clubs. I have only used this lounge early in the day and it has not been too crowded but that may be much different during the rush periods.

If you want the specifics on the facilities, I would refer to the individual airline's lounge pages.

Personally, I would eat at one of the better restaurants in the terminal areas. You will get better food and drink than at a club/lounge. You have a fair amount of time to you do not have to just camp out at a club/lounge. And the time will go faster you you move around and explore the airport.

r m a h

chetzel,

thx for the helpful reply! i'll be flying IN on an int'l flight from hong kong on united. i'll be flying OUT on express jet (UA) to traverse city, mi.

will i be able to access all these lounges?
'
i have been volunteering in india for 6 months as a teacher and am coming home for xmas. it would be nice just to plop down in a lounge and get some food and maybe a few bloody mary's! do all these clubs have at least some sort of complimentary alcoholic drinks? and which would be best (even if still not that good...) for food?

i appreiciate the help!
cb

cheltzel

Welcome home cb!!

I am a bit of a food snob so I really don't like the food served for free at the lounges. Typically some cheap snack items. Nothing substantial for filling. There are free booze options at the UCs. I really can't speak to the Admirals Club on the booze as I usually am in early in the morning. But I have been on other ACs and the drink was passable. Personally, I would make a run past Rick Bayless's place at ORD. Great Mexican food!.

Since you are flying in/out on UA, I would just do a United Club day pass. Assuming you are a US citizen and will have checked luggage, you can count on at least one hour of your 7 hour stay being eaten up by the rituals of entering the country and re-clearing security at T1.

A thought just occurred to me. There is a killer United Club at HKG. IMO the best lounge that UA has. Since you will depart HKG and then depart ORD on the same day, you may want to see if you can use the same day pass at both locations. That would be a question for the UA forum. The food/drink at the HKG club is quite good.

Have you arrived/connected at T5 before? Do you know how/where to recheck your bags?

r m a h

incredibly helpful reply! thanks!

i have never arrived in ord before. i was told there is some cpu automated way to expedite entering the usa again as a us citizen...something about an electronic customs form...?? any info you can provide would be great.

last question...maybe...ha! once i arrive in chicago, do all the paperwork, claim and recheck my bags, etc etc....at that point, will i have free reign of the airport? or are there different sections and i will have to exit/re-enter security to access a club other than united??

thanks for the mexican food tip...unfortunately, a$ a volunteer in india, i don't have $o much $pare ca$h the$e day$!! ha! and thanks for tip on hkg too. i have heard united passes are good once for one layover only...boooo!

cheltzel

You may want to post on this thread:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...up-thread.html

You may find that there is someone willing to host you in for free at one of the UC locations (like HKG).

I checked the United site on the pass and it is a single use pass so once you go into a single lounge, the pass is done. You may be able to leave/re-enter but I would verify that before doing so.

You are describing the new APC machines for automated passport control. I am a Global Entry member so I use a different path when entering the US. From what I have read, it sounds like it is usually pretty quick and easy. You can find the details on this thread:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/check...t-control.html

Once you clear immigration, you claim you bags and exit through the customs desk (basically a quick peek at your paperwork and on you go). There may be a line for this but I have never seen it take more than 5-10 minutes. As you exit customs the UA recheck counters are on your right against the wall. After checking your bags, you take the ATS (elevated people mover) to T1 (the last stop). Assuming you have your onward boarding pass all you have to do is clear security.

Once you are past security all the domestic terminals are connected and you can go the length of the terminals without having to deal with security. Search the Chicago forum for things to do airside.

legalalien

FWIW, DL SkyClub is in T2, where many UX flights depart from. It will have marginally better complimentary alcohol and better complimentary food: typically a soup and a salad or two, plus better selection of snacks than United Club. Admiral's club has very, very limited free snacks - basically some breakfast items, then mostly dry snack mixes the rest of the day - but allows you to a) order food that is generally comparable to what's available in the terminal, except perhaps some "stars" like Frontera, and b) bring outside food in. UC and SC explicitly prohibit outside food.

Overall however all three clubs are mostly comparable. UC in T2 is new - as others have mentioned - and has great tarmac views, but less privacy. AC and UC have quiet zones where you can relax. SC probably does too; I just don't recall for sure.

Check DL, UA and AA forums for meet-up threads; you may be able to get in without buying a pass. I'll be happy to guest you if I'm in the airport at the time.

Thanks for helping others. Enjoy your visit home!

XLR26

If you're looking to save some cash, skip the day pass and go a la carte in the airport. You can have a good meal (waaay better than anything you'll get in the clubs) and a few solid drinks at a place like Bayless' Frontera for around $35.

MSPeconomist

The DL SC at ORD is small but usually quiet and it does have lavatories (but no showers) in the lounge. It's starting to look like the furnishings could use some updating, but unless there are IROPs, it doesn't seem to be very crowded.

There are threads in the DL forum discussing the recently "enhanced" free food offerings in SCs at great length. Expect some green salad, probably spicy corn salad rather that the mayo chicken salad, olives, etc. during most of the day. I'm pretty sure that ORD has a self service open bar.

legalalien

Good point re: showers. United Club by C18 and Admiral's Club between H/K concourses do offer showers. Another option for showers in O'Hare Hilton's Fitness Center. I believe they sell passes for $12-15.

rjque

The United and AAdmiral's clubs will have only snacks, and nothing substantial. The AAdmiral's clubs do have some food for sale, but I would not recommend buying it, as it's expensive and not nearly as good as the Frontera Grill in the main terminal. Both the UA and AA clubs are OK places to relax, though I personally prefer the AA clubs because the employees are usually not as mean. It sounds like the DL club may be the best bet if it has food in addition to being a decent place to relax. I've never been in the DL club, so I'll leave that to others.

PenaltyBox

If you have a couple hours, the Hilton Fitness Center would be perfect. Showers, jacuzzi, pool, dry sauna, steam room, lockers and towels. You never have to go outdoors and the Hilton is actually centrally located for each domestic terminal.

If you really need it, the weight and cardio rooms are probably the best you'll ever find in a hotel.