S_D_P

I am a Delta Plat but moving to Chicago next year. I will likely be living in Hyde Park.
I am hoping that AA frequent travels can offer me some opinions, as I live in a DL hub and have never flown AA.

(1) Is it better to fly out of Midway airport, and stay on as a Delta Elite?
The pro is that Midway is really close to Hyde Park, so I avoid ORD traffic. But I heard Midway is a pit and I'd always have to catch infrequent connections to DTW/MSP/ATL to get anywhere. Even with ORD, DL is in the old terminal and flies a lot of regional jets to their hubs.

(2) Should I fly out of OHare and switch to American Plat?
The pro is that I'd get way more direct flights, esp internationally. It seems nice to not have to worry about making connecting flights, and to be at a better terminal with more options if flights are canceled. But I also hear that traffic in Chicago is horrible, and driving from Hyde park to ORD can take longer than catching a connecting flight.

I think Delta has better service overall, than AA. But AA seems better for redeeming miles for family vacations- DL is terrible in terms of international rewards.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

AlwaysSunnyInORD

How much time you want to spend getting to and from the airport might be the biggest issue here. On a good traffic day you are looking at a minimum of 45 min to Ohare. 1 hour 45 min on a bad day. Midway will be much better in that regard.

AA will, as you noted, provide you with more direct flights. I think a lot depends on where you fly. International? Then I'd do AA or United. Chicago to MSP weekly, stick with Delta.

Personally I like AA's award program but getting tickets for more than 2 people is getting harder on many routes.

FlyingLaw

I've lived downtown (loop) for a while and I haven't had any issue getting to ORD. I usually take the CTA Blueline as I can do so very cheaply but a Cab from where I live is not that unreasonable. However, taking the "L" for you would be more of a trip than it is for me...

Being an AA elite I haven't had much issue with ORD (knocks on wood). I have flown Delta out of Midway once (last Thanksgiving week) and, though I'm not a Delta Elite, it was easy. I feel Pre-Check is really important when your "home" airport is large.

Like AlwaysSunnyInOrd said... Delta's operation at Midway is limited so you will likely have connections. Delta does have a much bigger operation at ORD so if you have a cancellation, etc. they might be able to accommodate you at a flight out of there.

Hope this helps!

United747

I'm typing this from the L right now. But if you're taking public transportation, MDW is easier. From downtown, ORD is about an hour and MDW is about half that.

I like ORD more, even though it takes longer. There's a Skyclub in ORD as well as 2 AAdmiras Clubs.

rdurlabhji

MDW isn't bad for DL elites getting UGs. If you are living in Hyde Park (that is NOT downtown) I'd recommend sticking with MDW. You are looking at 1.5 hours on the CTA or driving getting to ORD. If you are living downtown (Loop area) then it's about the same (orange line to MDW, blue line to ORD).

OP I assume you are working in Hyde Park but have you considered living in South Loop? Hyde Park is nice but its pretty isolated from other nice places.

United747

I didn't mean to say that Hyde Park is downtown. I never venture down past the loop, so that's where my experience is.

smilinganddialing

1. Hyde Park to ORD is a PITA. Public transit is not an option as it would require bus + CTA Red Line + CTA BLue Line. Taxi/uber/Lyft will take you a while and driving to ORD from the city is a nightmare.
2. Personally, I hate the traffic on I-90/I-94 and take the CTA Blue Line in almost all situations except late at night when arriving back at ORD from a work trip.
3. If you are going to live in HP, why not switch to WN and fly their massive number of non-stops out of MDW? Unless your primary travel is international, there's no reason not to switch to WN if you want to live in HP.
4. From HP to MDW is very convenient (either take the #55 bus or quick 20-minute ride in Taxi/uber/Lyft
5. HP is a fine neighborhood and only going to continue to improve. The University of Chicago is a beast and continues to improve the neighborhood. South Loop, IMO, hasn't really got the energy of the rest of downtown (River North and Streeterville) and doesn't have the character of HP either.

jhartvu

When I lived in Chicago, I realized very quickly that MDW is the last airport before Hell. I hope I never have to fly in or out of there ever again.

reeg2

Best advice, yet.

smilinganddialing

Having flown 100x+ out of MDW between 2009 - 2012, I'm not sure why people feel this way. Yes, the TSA lines are painful but PreCheck should make it pretty fast. Have you experienced the PreCheck Line in T3 at ORD? It can be a complete nightmare.

PROs of MDW over other major airports:

• Much faster to get to MDW on Orange Line from downtown than ORD on Blue Line - that being said, with ORD, you don't have to be exposed to the elements
• Cleaner than ORD (and plenty of other major airports like DCA/LGA/PHL for that matter)
• Nicer bathrooms
• Better gate areas than most of ORD excluding perhaps Terminal 1. Ever seen Concourse L in Terminal 3 at ORD?
• Rarely delayed "waiting on a gate" as you are at ORD with AA and UA's miserable rebanking which sucks for O&D Chicagoans like us

CONs of MDW:

• No lounges (no, I don't have USO access)
• No Tortas Frontera - the best quick food option at any major US Airport
• No international longhaul flights
• High Noob traveler factor
• WN-specific: No MCE/E+/Comfort+ seating which means unless you grab the exit rows, you are SOL

And yes, I then switched to UA and then to AA so have experienced the full gamut and still end up on WN out of MDW 2-4x/year because of pricing/schedule.

United747

I agree, I've been to much worse airports. I don't actively avoid MDW, but if they are both the same price, I'll choose ORD 99% of the time unless I want to take a 6:30/7pm flight. I can duck out of work a tad early and hop on the orange line.