As we prepared for our flight to Reykjavik, we had a few hours to wait, so we decided to wait at the Chicago O’Hare / ORD Air France lounge. There are actually two different Chicago ORD Priority Pass lounges, both in Terminal 5 (the International terminal). There is not currently an airside transportation link between Terminal 5 and the other terminals at Chicago O’Hare, so you’ll need to be departing from Terminal 5 to access the Chicago O’Hare / ORD Air France lounge.
Can you visit the O’Hare Priority Pass lounges from the domestic terminals?
Whether you can visit the ORD Priority Pass lounges depends on a few factors. There is in theory an airside transportation link between Terminal 3 and Terminal 5 at Chicago O’Hare airport, but when we were there, it was out of service, and so you had to transit terminals via landside bus. In order to visit the ORD Priority Pass lounge from one of the other terminals, you’ll need to be able to access Terminal 5, so you’ll either need a T5 boarding pass, be able to access the airside transit bus if it’s working, or be able to convince the security at T5 to let you in in order to access the ORD Priority Pass Air France lounge.
Chicago O’Hare ORD Air France lounge location and access
The Chicago O’Hare ORD Air France lounge which is one of the 2 ORD Priority Pass lounge locations, is located between gates M7 and M8 in Terminal 5, directly across from the Swissport lounge (read my ORD Priority Pass Swissport review). When you pass through security in the ORD airport Terminal 5, head to the right and then you will shortly see this sign to your left
In addition to being a Chicago Priority Pass lounge, the ORD Air France lounge is also the lounge for premium cabin travelers on Air France, KLM, and most of the other international airlines that fly out of the International Terminal at Chicago O’Hare airport. Because of this, there is a note on the Priority Pass website that the Chicago ORD Air France lounge may restrict Priority Pass entrance between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Note that we arrived at about 4:00 pm local time and although the lounge was moderately crowded, we had no problem entering. At the worst case, you could walk across the hall to the Chicago ORD Priority Pass Swissport lounge.
The Priority Pass lounge states “Maximum 3 hour stay – Children under 2 years are admitted free – Smart casual dress at all times (no shorts, vests, baseball caps or football shirts allowed)”. I saw no indication that any of the above (maximum stay or dress code) was true or enforced.
You can also pay USD$50 for a day pass, which I would generally not recommend.
Chicago O’Hare Air France lounge seating
There are 3 different seating areas at the Chicago O’Hare / ORD Air France KLM lounge
All of the seating comes with pretty good views of the tarmac and International Terminal
Chicago O’Hare ORD Air France lounge review – food and drink
The food at the Chicago O’Hare / ORD Air France lounge is decent for a US lounge. There is a selection of prepared sandwiches. I had both the Bruschetta Chicken and the Italian Slam, and they were both quite tasty.
There are 2 trays of hot food – I had some of the chicken tortellini (pictured to the right) and I will say that it was passable.
There are a variety of soft drinks and wines in a miniature fridge
The big hit for my son was a freezer full of ice cream! This is something at the Chicago O’Hare / ORD Air France lounge that I have not seen in any other domestic US lounge in my memory.
Chicago O’Hare airport ORD Air France lounge amenities
There are no restrooms inside the Chicago ORD Air France / KLM lounge – to access the restrooms, you need to exit back to the terminal and go down the hall to the right.
There is free wi-fi in the Chicago ORD Air France / KLM lounge, though an Internet speed test indicated that it was not very good. I’m not sure the last time I saw the upload speed be faster than the download speed somewhere!
Even though the speed test said the Internet speed was slow, I didn’t have any problem doing any regular Internet browsing.
In conclusion, the Chicago ORD Air France / KLM lounge was definitely the better of the two ORD Priority Pass lounges, and if you have access to both, I highly recommend it over the Swissport lounge.
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There’s been an airside shuttle to T5 for about a year at ORD.
When I was there last week, they said it was not in service, because they bought a new train and it was the wrong size. Though maybe they were talking about something else (I was landside coming from MDW)
Solid review. I wouldn’t go out of my way to visit the Air France lounge, having used it twice for different international business flights, but it is certainly nicer than sitting at the gate. The sandwiches were pretty good and I’ll always take an espresso machine if I can get one.
Both times I’ve been there the place has been packed, although not as badly as the SFO Centurion so you’ll still be able to find a seat.
You’re confusing the train with the bus
“If you arrive on a domestic flight and must connect to an international flight, you have two options: 1.) you can take the ATS and pass through the security checkpoint in Terminal 5 or 2.) you can take a Terminal Transfer Bus (TTB) from Terminal 3 to Terminal 5 and bypass the security checkpoint in Terminal 5. The Terminal Transfer Bus service is year round with operation hours as follows: 10:00 am – 8:30 pm. If you are arriving​ into the domestic terminals and need to collect your luggage (exit the security side of the airport) and recheck in T5, you will not be able to use this service. “