JimInOhio

And the other nugget to take from that post is the speed at which his/her colleagues got to their gate by taking the landside bus from T5 and clearing security at T1 (?). It might not be that fast every day but it's some evidence of how the airport has fixed that mess.

threeoh

The airside bus is a blessing for (a) pre-clearance pax arriving in T5, (b) pax with long layovers wanting to use T5 lounges, and (c) while ATS is still down, on Bad Traffic Days when landside bus becomes a mess.

For everyone else the landside bus probably remains the best option, especially if you have Pre and especially if you're headed to B.

Let's wait another 10 posts on this thread and then someone can post "There is no airside T5->T1 bus" again and we can have this convo all over again.

AirbusFan2B

Just verified this morning with the shuttle people at B1 that it runs 11:00-20:45 every ~20 minutes. Takes ~20 min. to reach M1 in T5 with intermediate stop in T3. They confirmed it runs in reverse M1-T3-B1, same sked.

onthesam

The one report on FT of this was someone with a special invitation who had an awful experience and all of the sudden it's gospel that there's always a magical TTB that starts at M1 and goes to B1 and runs all the time. There are pics on this forum of a makeshift M1 bus station, and CDA indeed expanded their airside bus program earlier this year to include T1 -- perhaps there was an early pilot of a T5-T1 transfer that's not current running? Aside from those who arrive precleared, (and even then the TTb would take much longer than the landside shuttle) what possible benefit would a T5-T1 bus serve? Avoid accident on I-190? </RANT>

I'll add more confusion this story: Just left T5 this afternoon: per the UA recheck desk (not necessarily the authority on knowing what's going on), no airside bus was running today, FWIW.

Bottom line the initial advice is sound and still stands: going to LX lounge on arrival is a crap shoot for admission, and even if admitted, the lounge is lousy. Not worth it. Then getting over to T1, with or without a T5-T1 airside TTB, will be a major pain. If you do insist on doing this, take the landside shuttle and not any airside TTB, as it is not a swift experience.

Yes there is indeed a shuttle from B1 now (since this summer -- I rode it on the first day). International or T5 BP + passport is required for access at B1. Here's the latest from CDA:



ETA: There are no seats on TTB, so hold on tight.

threeoh

Wow, talk about spin. We have (1) An actual CDA employee who is involved with the project posting to FT directly confirming that the bus runs T5->domestic, (2) An actual passenger who's ridden the bus recently (and didn't like it), and (3) a report from "this morning" that the people actually operating the shuttle confirmed it runs both ways.

Based on that, I don't think the TTB is "magical". Sounds like the United recheck agent was just wrong.

onthesam

That's a silly assertion. Countervailing your "spin" notion:

1) That CDA employee indicated it would be "used as a "express connection" checkpoint. Select passengers would be rerouted from those clearing CBP and Immigration back upstairs then taking an airside bus back over to T1,T2 or T3.ctly " (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/30745358-post167.html)
2) There is little to no logic in running a T5-T1 TTB -- it's a slower process than what exists (unless, of course, you're trying line the pockets of a connected bus operating contractor)
3) There is still just one report of someone using it. They had a magical special express connection invitation. (https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/31353562-post230.html)
4) The contract worker working the B1 bus checkpoint could be wrong too.
5) The worker at B1 is not the "people operating the shuttle"
6) CDA website, which has been updated regularly, makes no mention of a public T5-T1 (or T3) TTB connection.

So can we stop advertising this as an open-to-the general-public service until we get some actual confirmation?

threeoh

Only if we can stop also posting misinformation like this:

Hiding the bus's existence from the advanced flyers of FlyerTalk seems overly cautious. Can we agree to "it's a new program and details may change, proceed with caution and consider whether the landside bus may be a better option for you"?

Maybe ords can chime in with more details?

onthesam

I wouldn't call it "hiding," but let's agree to disagree. There as no ill-intent from any of us who pointed out the lack of a regular T5-T1 TTB program. Perhaps just a lack of nuance in the delivery.

Agreed but with the following caveats:

1) The "program" may be extremely limited and may not be available to some/most/any/all travelers on any given day.
2) Now that the landslide shuttle wait times have evaporated, landslide will likely be a much faster connection than trying to use the TTB to go from T5-T1 (with intermediate stops at T3 and for aircraft and other ground vehicles).

Dare I add that for those who are not arriving pre-cleared, such as OP, there is little-to-no sense in clearing security at T5, even if to visit a lounge?

Repooc17

For the record, there were no airside buses running from T5 to T1 at the time of my arrival. I had clarified it in a later post, which you had omitted.

Context: I was arriving from an international origin, so the airside bus would have done nothing for me. I was landside within 5 minutes after deplaning (GE + no checked luggage). Caught a landside bus without much wait, within 15 minutes after deplaning, I cleared security at T1, and got on an earlier domestic flight via SDC.

An earlier (quoted) post stated the complication with the airside bus - how it took a GS pax an hour plus to get to T1.

Also, with T5 being non-TSA pre ready (at least based on my last visit there). The less time I am there, the better.

As for the topic of the thread, IMO, T5 lounges are only good to kill time while waiting your next departure flight in T5. Even IF my international arrival would drop me off at the lounge level, I would not stay there.

threeoh

Agree there is no ill-intent!

Sure, may be. Let's get more info.

I agree. As I've posted three (I think?) times on this thread, landside bus makes the most sense for most people. Airside is only good for (a) landside meltdown days [which could reoccur] (b) pre-clearance and (c) use of lounge (topic of this thread). If I didn't have Precheck, had 5 hours to kill, and hand lounge access in T5 but not T1, and was flying out of B or C. I'd definitely consider it. I thought that described OP, but WineCountryUA suggests they may not have lounge access after all.

Especially for those without Pre, not sure the big deal clearing in T5 vs T1. Either way you are going to clear security and take a bus. Assuming the bus is running, etc., who cares what order?

I didn't mean to call you out for misinformation -- you posted information that was correct as of your last visit but (I think) no longer accurate. I may have been a little frustrated because the T5->domestic TTB bus had just been discussed like 10 posts above yours. That's why I posted (again) more recent info saying that there is now a bus. May turn out my info is also outdated and the bus is cancelled/restricted, who knows!

Agree to disagree. If I had 5 hours as described above, I'd probably kill 2-3 hours having a drink, snack, and some wifi time in a T5 lounge and then mosey over to T1 to get ready for my flight. It's ok to have a multitude of opinions on FT and OP can make their own decision!

MSPeconomist

What is this preclearance that's mentioned here? I don't understand how it's relevant to T5 since precleared flights, such as transborder flights from Canada or a couple international destinations such as Dublin and Aruba IIRC, should arrive as domestic flights into a domestic terminal. Preclearance means that USA entry formalities are completed before boarding the international flight to the USA.

PreCheck (TSA trusted traveler program) is totally different and has no relation to preclearance airports.

jsloan

I suspect that there are a couple of airlines (e.g., EY -- AUH has preclearance) that use T5 even though they arrive from a preclearance location. Those passengers would be able to go directly into the terminal.

threeoh

There are CBP pre-clearance flights that arrive in T5, I believe on EY and EI at the moment. There is even a domestic baggage belt in T5 separate from the customs hall.

There is also a plan underway to move airlines that are not *A or OW over to T5 (DL, NK, B6, etc.) so they can tear down T2; as such there will likely be more flights arriving into T5 in the future that don't require CBP screening at ORD. Not sure on the exact timeline on that.

Repooc17

F9 operates out of T5 at ORD.

Agreed with options. This was my predicament; as soon as I landed at ORD (earlier than scheduled arrival), I made the SDC before the plane parked at the gate. The change to the earlier (connecting) flight allowed me to go home and have dinner, instead of around midnight.

mpw81

EI arrivals for sure. We did DUB-ORD last summer and they let you into the main airside T5 area but direct you (pretty sure a couple of EI employees) to the first exit down to baggage claim. I think F9 and EI both use the gates at that end of the terminal for this exact reason.

If I had a 5 hour layover at ORD and no Polaris access or luggage to worry about, I'd take the blue line to Logan Sq or Wicker Park before I bothered with any lounge at ORD.

This thread has been fairly entertaining and gone off the rails a bit considering the OP seems to be a run of the mill European amazed that domestic F doesn't get you lounge access in the US (a common misunderstanding, to be sure).