this post in part on going through O Hare airport in Chicago.
It was a disaster. A nightmare which I still have dreadful memories from. Just terrible. I promised myself never to go through O Hare Chicago airport again. I lost a huge amount of money on it that I never got reimbursed for, though I spent time trying.
So why was it that I booked our flight AGAIN this year through O Hare International airport, even with a layover of 6 hours?
Well. It came down to two factors.
It was the cheapest route at the overall fastest time.
I told my daugthers after I had booked it and one said, "Aw dad, why did you do that? You said we would never go through there again. It was so awful". Or something to that affect. Yes, I said, but.... money.
The reason I accepted the 6 hour layover is exactly because last time it took about 3 hours to get through customs so I was cushioning our transfer. We still had to catch a transfer and go on the last leg of our trip.
The big day came and I thought IF we got through quickly maybe we could get an earlier flight and get in sooner.
We landed in Chicago roughy on time. What would happen next? We speculated the possibilities. If... IF .... If ... If? IF!!!
Then we got off and walked to customs. And we walked. "Hey isnt that where you had to sit down and rest last time? Yeah and where was it that you threw up the first time and left the bag there?" And we walked more. And we got to the customs room The last time just getting to that point had taken way over an hour if not two.
And there we were now stopped. About five rows to the customs booth. At this point last time my daughters had to take turns sitting down outside the line. My youngest threw up there for the third time. We were so angry and bushed. I was resigning myself to us missing our next connecting flight. So what would I have to organize? Could we get another flight, did it exist or would we have to stay over?
This time they had directed other people to a different room even. We looked at the time. 2.06 pm. Ok the line is moving. Lets see today is Sunday so that might have something to do with it. But that could work either way. There are no Afghanis in the line like there was last time. But according to my calculations that only added about 10 per cent. Was I wrong? Had it been more?
They have a separate line for the airplane crew BUT NOT for parents with babies or young children. That is still a big minus. But the line is moving. In fact it was moving steadily.
I couldnt tell if they had more customs officers this time or not. It looked like more. At one point one just left with the line standing there and they had to break into other lines. That was weird. But I think there were more officers this time.
We got close to the front of the line and I asked what time it was. 2.24. So by the time we get there it will be 2.26..... 20 minutes in the line.
Whoaaaaaa Frank. That is pretty good. Pritty good. In fact very good.
The customs guy was terse and polite. We stuck our faces up to the camera and he looked at our US passports. Each one of us. "And you are...? Ok great, welcome back". That was it. Yeap, from the beginning of the line till end of customs a little more than 20 minutes.
We got our bags on the belt and had to check them through again. That was a bit confusing this time but mostly straightforward. If I had been 20 years older and with alzheimers it might have been prohibitive.
Then we just had to wait. Well I guess "only" 4 hours to boarding. There was not an earlier flight to our destination. I thought there was, but I was mistaken. Maybe from another airport. So we had to wait for a long time. But that was not the airports fault.
On revisiting O Hare international airport and getting through customs I give it an A- this time. Just the customs, baggage claim, recheck mind you. I cant speak on other issues of hospitality or shops or whatever. Just the going through customs.
Maybe last time in 2021 it had been a special case. Yes covid and the end of the afghani war and soldiers and Afghanis coming into Chicago played a role, but you would think that an airport in existence for so long would know how to compensate and handle it. But they hadnt. BUT that had been a very special case, perhaps they hadnt any idea how to deal with it. A bit strange, but ok. In "normal" times, it seems they are not so bad and doable. While stemming from my first bad experience I would still be worried about booking through Chicago, I would temper this with a good experience and look at the circumstance surrounding any new booking. ¨
In other words, still cautious, but if the shoe will fit then I will take it.
Congratulations O Hare.
I am on vacation, my daughters are sleeping nearby and it is morning, so I didnt listen to any music while writing this, just the wind and an occasional motor boat on the lake.
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