gaobest

Hi! We will fly out of ord in April and I'm curious what people do at ord before boarding. There isn't a lounge for VX, so what are other choices in terminal 3, in the VX section?
Before we flew with ual which had a huge terminal, but my guess is that we will love VX more and switch "loyalty"

bayhouse

VX uses gate L3, which is in the L concourse of Terminal 3. In addition to the amenities and shops within the L concourse, you have airside access to the K and H concourses as well (and possibly the G concourse as well). These concourses are home to the vast majority of AA/US ORD gates. All gates for AA/US except the VX gate and a few neighboring gates for other LCCs.

As ORD is a huge hub for American, and because you can freely roam throughout several concourses, there is a rather large selection of Admirals Clubs to choose from:

• An Admirals Club is located in the crosswalk area between gates H6 and K6
• An Admirals Club is located accross from gate G8
• A Flagship Lounge is located near K19

The club near H6 and K6 was recently renovated. Its fine; it has more to offer than the smaller Admirals Club near G8. But at the end of the day, it's still an Admirals Club with their typical bad selection of free alcohol and needlessly expensive premium drinks and meals. I've been to the H6/K6 one several times, and it's fine as an oasis away from the crowded boarding areas.

I don't know anything about American's Flagship Lounge there. It might be difficult to access, but if you can get in, its probably way better than the other two Admirals Clubs.

There are no other lounges in Terminal 3 (to my knowledge, at least). Hope this helps!

gaobest

Belated thank you! Do you recall if ord t3 has precheck for VX? I tend to fly paid cheap F so we would get the priority screening if Ord has it. This is all new for me so I'm trying to figure out my options. VX f is cheaper than ual f, and I still think VX is better than ual anyway, at least right now :-)

gooseman13

If the check-point has pre-check, then VX passengers are eligible. If this is a terminal with AA I'm sure there is a pre-check checkpoint.

pds_SFO

Per VX.com TSA PreCheck is avail at all VX airports in US. Here's the airport detail for ORD

https://www.virginamerica.com/cms/fl...icago-ord.html

bayhouse

Yes, there is pre-check (and a priority line) at ORD. In my experience, all of the lines (Pre, Priority, regular) have always been very short -- by any standard but especially for O'hare standards.

Between ORD and LAX/SFO, VX F is far superior to United: both on-board and (usually) on price. The only downside is the VX schedule is very minimal -- one or two flights a day. That will change in the future though, maybe in 12-24 months.

gaobest

Thanks! The VX "limited" flight options meet our needs. As long as pricing is better than ual / aa, they're the obvious choice :-)
I'll miss the ual lounge - not for their poor food but the comfy chairs and enclosed area.

McTigerFan

At ORD once you are airside you can access all of Terminals 1 through 3, not just Terminal 3. However, it is a long walk from the L concourse to Terminal 1 where the UC's are located. Probably about a mile.