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What are the busiest days at O Hare?

What is the busiest time at O Hare? Busiest days to travel: Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Fly early, but not too early. The busiest times are 6-8 am, and 3-5 pm.



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United Airlines (including United Express) is the largest airline at O'Hare, carrying over 45% of passengers. O'Hare is the second-largest hub for United, after Houston-Bush.

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O'Hare became famous during the jet age, holding the distinction as the world's busiest airport by passenger traffic from 1963 to 1998; today, it is the world's fourth-busiest airport for passenger counts, serving 54 million passengers in 2021.

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Generally speaking, most airlines advise that you arrive at the airport at least 2 hours prior to a domestic flight, and at least 3 hours prior to an international flight. That said, there are many factors to consider that will help you decide how much time you should budget for at the airport.

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How to Get Through Airport Security Quickly, According to a TSA Insider
  1. Enroll in TSA PreCheck or Clear. ...
  2. Wear shoes you can easily slip off. ...
  3. Make sure none of your clothes contain metal. ...
  4. Pack your carry-on (relatively) neatly. ...
  5. Make sure you're following TSA's 3-1-1 liquid rule. ...
  6. Empty your water bottle.


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Making a reservation in advance is a great way to skip TSA's sometimes exorbitantly long lines. However, if you're flying out of an airport that doesn't have this program, you may instead want to consider enrolling in TSA PreCheck or Clear.

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Most weeks of the year, Fridays are the busiest days to fly, and Tuesdays are the least busy.

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Generally, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are the best weekdays to fly. Thursday is a bit more expensive but still reasonable. Saturday is usually the cheapest weekend day to fly.

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Generally speaking, most airlines advise that you arrive at the airport at least 2 hours prior to a domestic flight, and at least 3 hours prior to an international flight.

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If you book a 6AM domestic flight, for example, you'll need to arrive at the airport by 4AM. Depending on how far you live from the airport, this could mean getting on the road around 3AM or 3:30AM; traffic should be minimal at this time, as should check-in and security lines.

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Usually you're advised to be there at least 2 hours earlier to have enough to time for the check-in, luggage on-boarding, security check and other steps needed for you to be ready to attend the flight. Of course, you're totally free to reach the airport last minute, but you'll miss your journey.

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The application fee for TSA PreCheck® is $78 for 5 years. Before you apply, we recommend that you review the various DHS trusted traveler programs, such as the TSA PreCheck® Application Program, Global Entry, NEXUS, or SENTRI, to ensure you meet the eligibility requirements and determine the best program for you.

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