Parking at Chicago OHARE (ORD) ???

[Mark A Ouellette]

Folks,

I fly to Zimbabwe soon via Emirates out of Chicago O'Hare (ORD) airport.
Where do frequent O'Hare flyers park for extended periods?

Thanks in advance,
Mark

 

[Altitude sickness]

Mark, if you arrive the day before and stay one night. Most airport hotels allow 7 days free parking. It’s of course not long enough. But takes some of the days away. If early arrival and paying for a room benefits your travel plans.

 

[PARA45]

Here in GA we have Groom Shuttle Service and it's about $100 round trip to Atlanta. Beats driving and paying for parking especially after coming back from Africa. Maybe there is something similar in Michigan.

 

[JimP]

Not Chicago but for Denver I'll use a private parking lot instead of the airports long term parking. They have better security and are around the same price if not a little bit lower. I'll also stay in a hotel the night before since I have to drive 2 hours to get to the airport. I checked out the hotels policy of parking in their lots and they have started charging for anything longer than 5 or so days.

 

[Yukontom]

Folks,

I fly to Zimbabwe soon via Emirates out of Chicago O'Hare (ORD) airport.
Where do frequent O'Hare flyers park for extended periods?

Thanks in advance,
Mark

I have used PreFlight Airport Parking right off of Mannheim Rd. Shuttle service is great, and it is very close to the International terminal.

 

[Mark A Ouellette]

Mark, if you arrive the day before and stay one night. Most airport hotels allow 7 days free parking. It’s of course not long enough. But takes some of the days away. If early arrival and paying for a room benefits your travel plans.

Great suggestion but my flight departs about 8 PM so that is a day wasted. Still, it is something to consider.

I have used PreFlight Airport Parking right off of Mannheim Rd. Shuttle service is great, and it is very close to the International terminal.

@Yukontom This is the type of information I am searching for!
You made Google searching even easier than it already is!
https://www.preflightairportparking.com/location/ORD

As my USMC Drill Instructor Sergeant Mills would advise, "Gather your intelligence locally."

 

[Yukontom]

Great suggestion but my flight departs about 8 PM so that is a day wasted. Still, it is something to consider.


@Yukontom This is the type of information I am searching for!
You made Google searching even easier than it already is!
https://www.preflightairportparking.com/location/ORD

As my USMC Drill Instructor Sergeant Mills would advise, "Gather your intelligence locally."

I think I have parked there for 4 trips now Mark so I know it works. One of them was also with Emirates where we sprung for Business class which was the best trip over ever. Where are you going in ZIM?

 

[rookhawk]

Folks,

I fly to Zimbabwe soon via Emirates out of Chicago O'Hare (ORD) airport.
Where do frequent O'Hare flyers park for extended periods?

Thanks in advance,
Mark

Hello Mark,

I've flown that route almost every trip to Zim I've ever taken. It's excellent. I lived in the region at the time so I didn't use extended O'hare parking. I used to use an extended parking lot off Manheim Road when I was a bachelor a million years ago. Never had a break-in or car damage, but I'm giving you 25 year old info. I seem to recall another long term parking option that allows you to take the monorail to Terminal 5 that is located on Bessie Coleman Drive. Its a very nice parking area but it is more expensive than the ones located 2 miles from the terminal.

P.S. - Not sure if you're planning on lounge access on the outbound leg, but it really, really sucks at Terminal 5. In fact, the #1 worst lounge in the world in an article a read six months ago was the lounge that is at Terminal 5 you can access with Priority Pass Lounge card or if you have status or biz class with Emirates. Its the Swissport lounge and its horrible. Rumor has it an Amex or Delta lounge is in the works, but its not there yet. Most of us just go to the bar in the main area of the terminal food court. Its about 150 yard walk to M8, the usual Emirates gate for the 8pm flight.

P.P.S- The Marhaba lounges in Dubai's terminals are pretty good. Free if you have Priority Pass Lounge access (included with Amex platinum card). The biryani rice is good, my son eats 5 servings If you fly Emirates business, you get free Dubai and Harare lounge access. The Emirates B-class Dubai lounge is stellar and they allow cigar smoking. (I recommend 8 hours of Cuban cigars and brown liquor during your layover.

P.P.P.S. - Dubai are fanatical about their laws. If you have a spent piece of brass in your bags or on your person, you're going to sit in the airport police station. (Ask my at the time 9 year old son how he liked that) Same goes for thermal and night vision. Watch your ass, they have zero tolerance. Other than that, everything about Dubai airport is A+ and its the nicest anywhere in the world.

 

[MacJenkins]

Rookhawk is correct on the lounge in Chicago. It sucks! I've taken Emerites for 8 trips to Africa and this was the first time I was routed through Chicago last month. Other trips have been through Seattle, starting in SLC. I'll refuse to ever route through Chicago again, coming back I could not believe how far you need to pack luggage after clearing customs to get to check in for my flight to SLC. Was a good 45 minutes lugging gun case and checked bag. Then the airport as a whole leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[rookhawk]

The worst airport lounge in America, Chicago's Terminal 5 Swissport Lounge. It's famous!

Inside the worst airport lounge in the US: 'Dark, dingy pit'

Airport lounges are a much-coveted travel luxury, designed to ease the often irksome experience of waiting around for a flight.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[MacJenkins]

This was my kids first trip to Africa and also first time flying Emerites. We had a bit of a layover so as we were deplanning I said they should have a decent lounge here. Boy was I wrong and they were not impressed. When we got to Duabi I assured them this one will be better.

 

[rookhawk]

This was my kids first trip to Africa and also first time flying Emerites. We had a bit of a layover so as we were deplanning I said they should have a decent lounge here. Boy was I wrong and they were not impressed. When we got to Duabi I assured them this one will be better.

Explain to your kids:

Chicago = third world, formerly first world

VS

Dubai = first world, formerly third world

As goes society, so goes their airport lounges.

 

[aminkus]

hello mark
As a life long Chicago resident and a very frequent traveler, there are not many "good or easy " options for long term international parking. Chicago did build a new lot directly across the terminal but it is more short term sort of thing. The long term lot is FAR away and can be difficult to get to via shuttle to the international. But the remote lot may be your only real option with out parking your car in a garage locally and then taking an uber. If i had another garage spot i would more then happily offer it to you but i only have the single space and the wife as stacked her claim to it

 

[rookhawk]

The fancy garage and lot I was thinking of is Lot D. That is $43 per day! Yikes. They have an E-F-G lot that are way the hell away, less money, and have a van shuttle to get you to terminal 5.

Here's the website for O'Hare parking options:

https://www.flychicago.com/ohare/tofrom/parking/Pages/Terminal5.aspx

 

[rookhawk]

Beware, the economical parking lots fill up and leave you shafted.

 

[Altitude sickness]

The on airport hotel at Chicago has very affordable day rates. Instead of sitting in a crowded lounge. Book the airport hotel to chill in. I think it was $75 last year. (Day rate) check out was I think 6PM

 

[Yukontom]

At PreFlight Parking you can get a reserved in advance spot for less than $20/a day.
And like I said earlier their shuttle service is excellent.

 

[CEO]

I previously worked in an office that had a car rental place in the same front lobby. I would occasionally chat with the customers waiting on cars and met a guy who would tell me a ton of hunting stories. So many to the point I thought he was BS'ing until he started showing me pictures. Even though he lived only 45 minutes from IAH, he would rent a car to drive there, then rent one to drive back home. Said it was way cheaper than paying parking for three weeks to a month.

Just something to think about.

 

[Makintrax73]

I have had good to OK experiences with PreFlight O'Hare. The parking deck seems safe, stocked with bottled water in the lobby, good elevators, and the shuttle service TO the airport is generally quite good. LEAVING the airport returning home from the Intl terminal I have had some problems with full shuttles.

I have also done sleep, park and fly at the 4 Points Sheraton, which is directly next door to PreFlight, and also the Wyndham O'Hare. 4 Points always put me in a secure fenced lot. Wyndham put me in an "extension" lot away from the hotel and simply an open lot behind an office building. You need to sign up for parking ahead of time, and generally 7 days included with your stay. You also have to book your departure shuttle time with the desk (have always done it at check in) so you get a spot on the shuttle. The last time I did this I stayed at Wyndham and ended up just getting an Uber because getting a shuttle back to the hotel was such a hassle (seems to be a problem with everyone I've tried). I used parksleepfly.com to book when I did Wyndham in January and that was a pretty seamless way to book a hotel and parking.

The neighborhood around PreFlight and 4 Points (South of the airport) seems to have taken a turn for the worse. I haven't had any problems there, but there have been some unsavory looking people hanging around that area (particularly the gas station right there) that made me question whether things are going the wrong way in that neighborhood.

My experiences with the "cheap" airport lots is while cheaper it takes a long time to get to and from the airport on the tram, the lots are gigantic.

O'Hare is easily the worst airport in the US I have ever been to. Dirty, disconnected, roads and trams shut down for repairs/construction, and generally badly designed.

 

[Hogpatrol]

IIRC, Emirates in business or first, will give you a ride to the airport. Was told one traveler took a two hour free ride to the airport but looking at the website, it's a 50 mile limit out of Chicago.

Chauffeur-drive | The Emirates Experience | Emirates United States

Fly First Class or Business Class and we’ll drive you to and from the airport.

www.emirates.com