Originally Posted by
bethyy
Hi, I am going to be frequently flying to/from ORD escorting an elderly intellectually disabled family member. Any ideas or tips in terms of crowded places to avoid, shortcuts, quiet places, etc. would be greatly appreciated!
Additional Info:
- She can walk independently but veryyy slowly and does not seem willing to use the airline wheelchairs. She would be fine on one of those golf cart type transport things but AA said they don’t have them at ORD.
- Booked on American for our next few flights but am open to any.
- Lounges would be great particularly for bathrooms. I have an amex plat card, AA citi world exec, and am star alliance gold (not through United, so lounge access if flying United I think).
- We will have PLENTY of time when departing from ORD. Like if T5 is quiet and easy to go through security and has a nice lounge we can sit in for 2 hours and then have an easy way to get to T3 then that would be preferable over any sort of mayhem.
- Flights are and will all be domestic and direct.
- Can also fly in or out of nearby airports (MKE, MDW, etc) in the future.
- She will be dropped off/picked up at the curb by a caregiver, so no parking or anything.
Really appreciate any advice! And sorry if this is the wrong place to ask!
I've had some really long layovers at ORD. Some thoughts.
AA lounge access might be worth purchasing. The H/K lounge has a nice quiet area. The G lounge also has a quiet area with an actual door but, for me, it gets quite cold in that one. On the other hand, it never seems to have more than a couple of people in it.
The United lounge is quite far especially if you walk slow but if walking is a way to pass time, the hallway between T3 adn T2 (United) is not as busy as other places in the airport. Mostly just used by those switching airlines or going to the Hilton from T3. There are some nice sitting areas just inside T2 from T3
Another place to try is the yoga room. In the rotunda area between terminal 3 and Terminal 2 (at the start of the G gate arm). Second floor. Rarely used and if in need of real quiet this is it. There used to be a small arboratum up there but that may have gone with covid times. Personally I like the yoga room when stressing over delays
Safe travels