I'm gathering I'm now screwed and spending the night in Chicago... my AA flight from NRT to ORD is delayed 3 hrs, and my 4 hr layover just became 1 hr. Just thinking aloud here and hoping for commiseration. Am I correct in thinking there's no way I'll make my flight, unless it's delayed?
Highly unlikely. But, if your plane gets in just a little earlier and you can clear customs with only hand luggage by T-50 minutes, you have a shot. You'll be at the whims of the monorail schedule between T5->T3 (I think it's every 8 minutes at this time of night), how many people are working at TSA, and which gate you're at (best shot is H1-H6 and K1-K6)