Finding Your Way Around Chicago O'Hare Airport: Terminal Three

Three portions of this multi-part feature have spoken volumes about Chicago O'Hare Airport. The last article gave some directions to terminals from the CTA / O'Hare passenger pedway. I'll now focus on the complete airport from the baggage level - up!

Here is where we really see that O'Hare is a city unto itself. Five terminals altogether, one of those is a ground transportation center where hotel/motel courtesy transports and regional bus transports pick up weary travelers for their final leg of transport. We'll start with terminal 3.

There are 14 baggage claim belts in this terminal that serve these airlines:

American Airlines

American Eagle

Delta

American and American Eagle are the premier airlines for terminal 3, Delta has a small and limited operation here. Walk into baggage claim and turn left for all of the American Airlines baggage belts. If you keep going down all the way, you'll see the 4 baggage claim belts for Delta. Also here is the Prospect Aviation Services office. Operations for their portion of business in terminal 5 is based in this office. All the way at the end is Delta's Customer Service / Baggage Service office. Right between the American Airlines baggage claim and American Eagle baggage claim is the Customer Service/Baggage office for American Airlines and American Eagle, although American Eagle has it's own agent assigned to their baggage operations. Hint: they are both the same company, so you can use either one.

Other features of terminal 3 baggage are: City of Chicago Department of Aviation Customer Service and information desks. You can find information from city attractions and schedules, to information about getting around the city once you leave the airport. These folks are knowledgeable about everything. Hertz and Avis car rental desks offer some help, and then there is the Priority Parcel Service run by American Airlines and American Eagle. The desk is manned by employees of a private contract company. These employees were once those of Globe Aviation Services.