Operational
Airport Profile · US

Chicago O'Hare International Airport

ORD KORD
Chicago, US America/Chicago American / United
80.0M
Annual passengers
40+
Destinations
92
Airlines
8
Runways
Where ORD ranks
Among 534 international airports — and 123 in N. America
View full ranking →
Passengers
# 8 worldwide
# 4 N. America
Direct routes
# 3 worldwide
# 2 N. America
Airlines
# 24 worldwide
# 6 N. America
Runways
# 1 worldwide
# 1 N. America
Terminals
# 22 worldwide
# 10 N. America
Area
# 38 worldwide
# 14 N. America
Elevation
# 142 worldwide
# 32 N. America
Chicago O'Hare International served 73.9M passengers in 2024 and holds the distinction of operating more runways than any other commercial airport in the world — eight of them, arranged in a mostly east-west configuration after a multi-decade modernization program that shifted O'Hare away from its historical crosswind layout. The airport's 249 direct destinations rank it among the top five most-connected globally. O'Hare is the busiest airport in the American Midwest and one of the last true dual-hub airports: United Airlines operates from Terminals 1 and 2, American from Terminal 3, and both carriers base substantial fleets here — a rare arrangement given the financial pressure on airlines to concentrate operations. Terminal 5 handles international arrivals for all airlines, a configuration being addressed by the O'Hare 21 capital program (currently the largest airport construction project in North America), which will deliver a new satellite concourse and a unified global terminal opening in stages through the late 2020s. International service is especially strong transatlantically — all the major European flag carriers operate here, Lufthansa, British Airways, and Air France among them — plus growing Asia service via United's 777 and 787 fleets (Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Seoul, Delhi). The airport sits 27 km northwest of downtown Chicago, and its weather resilience is operationally critical: ORD regularly handles winter conditions that close other U.S. hubs.

Global route network

Every direct destination, colour-coded by distance

Most popular route
ORD → ANC
351 observed departures
Longest route
ORD → DWC
12,898 km
Countries reached
49
Via direct passenger flights

Where can I fly from here?

Top direct destinations, sorted by daily frequency

Track new routes from ORD

Get notified when airlines add new destinations, resume seasonal services, or launch direct flights from Chicago O'Hare International Airport. Flight tracking, alerts, and full route history live on AirportRoutes.com.

Airport data

Authoritative facts sourced from the airport authority

Elevation
680 ft (207 m)
Above sea level
Runways
8 · 13,000 ft max
8 runways, CON
Passengers
80.0M/yr
Reported 2024
Airlines
92 carriers
OO · UA · MQ
Hub status
Mega-hub
American / United
Area
7,627 acres (3,087 ha)
Total airport area

Beyond the major hubs

ORD also serves 154 regional airports across 8 countries — secondary cities, islands, and niche destinations not ranked on BigAirports.

154
Regional airports
8
Countries served
34
Airlines operating
1,812
Observed flights
AirportRoutes.com

Explore every route from ORD with live tracking

AirportRoutes tracks all 194+ routes — majors and regionals alike — with flight-level activity, airline filters, and daily updates.

Open full profile

Getting to the airport

Ground transport options from Chicago

Public transportation

The CTA Blue Line (rapid transit) runs 24 hours between O'Hare and Downtown Chicago in 40–45 minutes for $5.00, every 4–15 minutes depending on time of day. The station is inside Terminal 2 via a covered walkway. Metra commuter rail's North Central Service offers weekday service to suburbs but doesn't serve downtown directly.

Taxis & rideshare

Metered taxis queue at lower-level arrivals outside each terminal. Typical fare to Downtown Chicago is $45–60 (30–45 min off-peak, 60+ min in rush hour). Flat-rate shared shuttles to downtown and suburbs run $30–40 per person. Uber and Lyft use designated pickup zones on the upper level at Terminals 1, 2, 3 and on the ground level at Terminal 5.

Rental cars

A consolidated Multi-Modal Facility houses all major rental brands — Hertz, Avis, Budget, National, Enterprise, Alamo, Thrifty, Dollar, Sixt — with an on-site Airport Transit System (ATS) people-mover connecting to all terminals in 5–10 minutes. The ATS runs 24/7; pickup is typically 15–20 minutes end-to-end.

Explore more from ORD

Related airports, airline directory, and popular routes