SpinzCity

A vast new plan for O'Hare would demolish Terminal 2, upgrade the other terminals, build two new satellite terminals, result in 6 east-west runways and 2 diagonal runways, and basically give an expanded Terminal 5 to Skyteam, as well as to other non-hub airlines. United and American would be centered in the new Global Terminal to be extended from where Terminal 2 is now, with 150 feet-wide concourses instead of the clogged arteries of today. It sounds to me like there will be two customs/immigrations facilities, the existing one in Terminal 5, and a new one in the new Global Terminal:
Chicago, airlines nearing $8.5 billion deal to dramatically expand O'Hare - Chicago Tribune

MSPeconomist

Let's not cheer. It's a pain and requires extra time to get to terminal 5 if you use public transportation to/from ORD.

bonoman

Like an extra 10 minutes? Big whoop.

davie355

T5 is closer than all the others to remote parking, which is also used as a public transit stop.

james318

I have to believe this is incorrect. Detroit is only one example where this is also the case. There are many others, I am sure.

ajeleonard

Detroit is only served by Air France and Aeromexico, so it's a stretch to refer to them using Delta's terminal as a "Global Alliance Hub", no matter how made-up the term is

3Cforme

This is only rather peripherally about Delta: AA and UA hold significant veto power over ORD developments, and this isn't financed.

Get back to me when there's a groundbreaking with a firm timeline to put Delta and SkyTeam carriers into Terminal 5.

ords

Correct, so there goes any times saving waiting for the ATS then heading down to the Blue Line over from T5.

ords

AM, KE, KL, AF, MU already operate within T5, DL is planned to be moved in 2020 once the 9 gate extension is completed and yes, this work already has started. DL be using gates M1-M6 on a preferential basis.

Also, T5 will not be formally called the Sky Team Terminal. It will also house both Star and OW carriers that are not part of the JV that will operate from the new T2 and also non aligned carriers. It will also house B6, AS, F9 and NK once it's all completed.

Put it in this perspective, F9 is moving over from T3 this year with 16 operations a day, DL moves over in 2020 with roughly 80 operations per day. Until the new T2 is built, the only FIS will continue to be T5 which on average today during peak summer has 110 operations today. As it was made clear, this is all about international flying and growth, so you can only imagine how packed this terminal will be between 2020-2026. You think T2 is rough, just wait and everyone knows this.

kenn0223

What?!? There is a Metra Station there (with trains every hour or so) but the vast majority of people taking public transit to ORD take the CTA Blue Line which, currently, only stops at T-1/2/3. Even the Metra stop isn't very close to the ATS and requires quite the walk.

The City plans to use revenue bonds (bonds secured by future airport users fees) which, if the airlines (AA/UA) sign on to the plans, should be pretty easy to float. The Tribune article indicates that they do not need taxpayer funds which is typical of these sorts of projects (unless of course the airlines stop paying). The lease the refer to in the article is the center of all of this and has provisions to help support the bond payments including, likely, minimum passenger numbers from UA/AA and a requirement to post collateral if their financial position takes a turn for the worse.

MSPeconomist

In addition, AFAIK most of the airport hotel shuttle buses don't stop near T5. I recall having to get myself from T5 to T2/3 for a shuttle to hotel we used for a Star Mega-DO.

anon2k2

At SEA the main international concourse (S-Gates) is served by Delta and Alaska (on occasion) and pretty much every international carrier that flies into Seattle except Air Canada.

ElmhurstNick

Hopefully DL will consider expanding/upgauging at MDW during this period. Move one of the SLC flights over to MDW, go all CR9 to DTW, and more mainline to MSP.

pvn

This would be fantastic.

javabytes

It's a couple minutes on the ATS. How is this any different than hopping the Plane Train at ATL post-security?