We are traveling to Munich in 10 days and we have a 51 minute layover in Chicago before our flight to Munich. I am starting to get concerned about that. We are flying on United Airlines. I do not know what terminal we arrive in and which terminal we depart from. We do not check bags so that isn't an issue. Will we have enough time and do we have to go through any kind of TSA check before our Munich flight. Thank you for your help.
Posted by
445 posts
United is in Terminal 1 at O'Hare. Their direct flight to Munich (UA953) generally leaves from Gate B17 in Terminal 1. If there are only minor delays, you should be fine, but do not dawdle as terminal 1 is quite large and has two sections.
Posted by
California USA
4098 posts
Go to Flightaware.com and see which gate your flight uses today. Google an O’Hara map for terminals and visually see how far apart the two gates are at least for today. Be aware of the two parts to terminal 1 that the previous poster mentions. When your plane disembarks at O’Hara you’ll be ready to double check the actual gate and get going! Have fun in Germany.
Posted by
Chicago
645 posts
Well, assuming you are booked on a single ticket, at least you will be protected if the
inbound flight is delayed.
You will not have to clear security to get to the Munich flight, but there is a chance your
inbound flight will come into Terminal 2 (Mumbling & Stumbling is only partially correct;
this morning's flight goes into T2, for example) which will mean a longer walk back to
B&C concourse in T1. So as noted, be aware of your outbound gate before you get on
the first flight and be ready to walk briskly, as it is likely your Munich flight will be boarding
before you get off the first flight no matter what.
Lufthansa operates a flight to Munich later in the evening. If you are delayed and miss the
UA flight, there is at least a backup option that gets you to Munich the same day.
Posted by
OP
190 posts
Thank you all for your very helpful suggestions. I am feeling better about the timing. We should be able to handle it if everything is on time. We had a similar timing issue once in Newark and If I remember right they actually held the plane for us. Unless there is a long delay, we should be okay. Love this site for help with travel.
Posted by
Denver, CO, USA
1601 posts
The key is to have the United app which will provide detailed information in real time including where your next gate is and how to get there. One issue I can foresee is normally UA starts boarding international flights 50 minutes before departure. Hence, there may not be space for your carry ons by the time you get to the connecting flight and departing flight gate. In which case you may have to check it for free.
Posted by
OP
190 posts
Arnold - thank you for that info. We are traveling business class so that shouldn't be a problem.