Originally Posted by
nk15
I am planning a TATL to see family in late July-late August, so peak summer travel season. I am connecting at ORD T3 (AA) where I have a 4-5 hour layover on both legs of the trip, and flagship lounge access. I am a little concerned with spending 4-5 hours indoors, especially at the congested ORD T3, including the modestly sized flagship lounge. How is the ventilation at ORD?
My question: Would it be safer to go outside for 3 hours on the outbound during the layover, and possibly book an overnight at a hotel on the inbound, instead of doing 4-5 hour layovers indoors at T3? Any thoughts? Obviously I would rather spend time at the lounge, in normal circumstances, but also keep in mind that it will be peak summer season, so the airports won't be empty like now, they will likely be quite busy, and all the anti-maskers and covid deniers will be out and about....To make things worse, AA only requires masks on the plane, not check in, lounges, etc., so T3 will be a zoo...
I am flying J out and PE on the return, so the plane part is better...
I’ve always assumed that the ventilation is quite good since it always seems to be freezing in the terminals each time I pass through there.
You could try wandering over to T1-T2 ( connected airside) to see if there are any quieter areas. The surrounding areas near the connector walkways seem to a bit calmer, by ORD standards at least. Personally, I’d try to make it work at the FL, since ORD is one of my least favorite airports to spend long layovers without lounge access.
Coming back and arriving at T5, you’ll have to make a landslide terminal transfer anyways, so you can spend a few more minutes outside, although not really sure of any good spots specifically.
Note that even if it’s “peak” season, my guess is that it will only be a fraction of the number of passengers during the same time period as last year.