Aer Lingus has moved in with American Airlines in Chicago

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Historically, Aer Lingus has operated out of Terminal 5 at Chicago O’Hare but as of 24 January, the airline has moved out of the international terminal and is now sharing a terminal with American Airlines.

The airline has said that the move has come about to give passengers who are connecting on to a domestic American Airlines flight a smoother connection in Chicago, and with Aer Lingus deepening its ties with American Airlines through an enlarged codeshare agreement just three months ago, this move was always on the cards.

How Aer Lingus connections at Chicago O’Hare work

• Customers with boarding pass for their connecting domestic flight can walk to the connecting departure gate, bypassing the need for further security screening.
• Arriving passengers who need to collect a boarding pass for their connecting domestic flight can now remain within the Terminal 3 secure area (airside) and get a boarding pass from the airline they’re connecting to at their departure gate without the need to head landside (and then have to deal with TSA on the way back in).
• Passengers with baggage that has been checked through to their final destination are not required to claim their bags in Chicago. These bags will be automatically transferred to their connecting flight.
• Passengers connecting to an airline operating from O’Hare Terminal 5 can take the airside bus link from Terminal 3 to Terminal 5 if they have a boarding pass for their connecting flight. Passengers without a valid boarding pass, must exit the Terminal 3 secure area before using Chicago Airport’s Airport Transit System (ATS) to get to Terminal 5.

Terminals 1, 2, 3 are not separate buildings at O’Hare, and this makes connections within those terminals considerably simpler.

Aer Lingus estimates the connection time within terminals 1,2, and 3, at 45 minutes.

Lounge access at T3

Aer Lingus Business Class flyers as well as Aer Club Concierge and Platinum elites have access to the American Airlines Flagship Lounge at Terminal 3 (whether flying domestically or back to Ireland).

The Chicago Flagship Lounge is open between 05:00 and 21:00 daily and is located at the intersection of the H and K gates.

Bottom line

As of 24 January 2024, Aer Lingus is operating out of Chicago O’Hare Terminal 3 where it is sharing space with American Airlines. For passengers connecting to/from domestic services, this should make life considerably easier than it was when Aer Lingus was based at T5, so this looks like it will be a popular move with the airline’s flyers.