Rush hour at O’Hare and Midway, as turkey countdown begins
Tick tock. The Thanksgiving getaway extravaganza has landed, with 1.8 million passengers expected to surge through O’Hare and Midway international airports over the holiday.
The Chicago Department of Aviation predicts an 11.4% spike in travel at O’Hare compared to 2023, and Sunday will be the most crowded day at both airports.
Here’s some tips and stats for trains, planes and automobiles, based on Tuesday’s latest numbers:
• About 1.5 million flyers will pass through O’Hare over the holiday. On Sunday, more than 254,000 people are expected at O’Hare and over 58,000 at Midway.
The CDA offers free cellphone lots and Kiss n’ Fly sites at Midway and O’Hare. If you are parking, check the city’s flychicago.com/parking website to see what’s available.
To avoid traffic, Metra’s North Central Service runs between Union Station and the airport weekdays, and Pace’s Pulse Dempster Line is an inexpensive, speedy trip to O’Hare from suburbs like Des Plaines and Rosemont. A trip from Des Plaines takes about 20 minutes.
• Chicago’s hometown carrier, United Airlines, anticipates its busiest holiday — ever — with more than 6.2 million passengers. That means accommodating 60,000 seats a day at O’Hare, a 16% bump from 2023. The most intense days for United will be Saturday and Sunday, analysts said.
To get to your gate faster, United advises uses its app that allows mobile check-in and baggage drop, terminal maps, real-time flight info and rebooking features.
• The Illinois tollway expects 8.9 million vehicles to hit the road between Wednesday and Monday. The worst traffic? That’s Wednesday, with 1.8 million gravy-goers and commuters sharing the lanes, officials said.
Traffic analysts INRIX predict the most gridlock nationwide on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons and advises drivers leaving Sunday to get an early start. Best conditions? Thanksgiving Day typically offers clear roads.
• Hoping for a reprieve from Kennedy Expressway work? You’re out of luck. The reversible lanes between Lawrence Avenue and Ohio Street will remain closed for construction.
• Meanwhile, Amtrak expects Wednesday to be its second busiest travel day of the year. During the 2023 Thanksgiving period, more than 1 million riders took the train, reaching 97% of pre-pandemic levels, and trends show 2024 could surpass that.