O’Hare to get Eighth Runway, More Passenger Fees
The Midwest’s biggest airport is getting even bigger. The city of Chicago has landed funding for an eighth runway at O’Hare International Airport. At one time it was the world’s busiest airport. Today it’s number eight and better known for frustration, delays, and price gouging. In January of this year, just 74% of flights left on time, and 76% arrived on time, according to the USDOT. JD Power’s 2015...
How Bad Is Chicagoland’s Transportation System?
Chicago is an old city, and when you look at the region’s transportation infrastructure, it looks the part. Decades of neglect and underfunding have left the region’s and the city’s rails, roads, bridges, and transit in deplorable condition. Tell someone in Finland that the commuter trains sometimes don’t run when it gets to 20 degrees because the switches are heated with open flames, and they’ll think...
[Video] Chicago’s Version of a Sky Mall Debuts at O’Hare
Veteran flyers have long considered the international terminal at O’Hare airport to be something less than ideal. Amenities-wise, once you were on the airside, you were pretty much stuck with the water fountains and whatever goodies made it past the T.S.A. That’s all in the past now that the city has officially opened its new Terminal Five experience, with the help of a company best known for its shopping malls. Westfield...
City Wants Nearly $1 Billion Facility Linking Metra Rail With O’Hare [updated]
The City of Chicago has unveiled ambitious plans for a $884 million transportation hub next to O’Hare International Airport. In order to make it a reality, the city needs a $242 million loan from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Considering that Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood was in town last week to announce that the city is welcome to apply for the money, there’s a pretty good chance it will happen. If...
It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas, 2012 – Part 4
O’Hare International Airport is all decked out for Christmas. Colorful ornaments hang in strings along the Terminal 3 windows, oversized red and green swags hang from the rafters in the ticketing area, and Christmas trees are starting to be distributed around the...
Freebie Alert: Best of Chicago and Hong Kong
It’s hard to believe that it’s already been a year since Cathay Pacific started non-stop flights between Chicago and Hong Kong. Before CX got in the game, every time I went to Hong Kong I had to take United and change planes in Tokyo. On-time performance was non-existant. Once I had to cool my jets in the Hong Kong airport for 11 hours waiting for a United flight. We arrived in Tokyo so late that the connecting flight...