A LOOK AT O'HARE'S FUTURE

Mayor Johnson unveils next phase of O'Hare 21 Terminal Area Plan

Mayor Brandon Johnson this week unveiled the design of Satellite Concourse 1 at O'Hare International Airport, the first major component of the once-in-a-generation expansion and modernization project known as the O’Hare 21 Terminal Area Plan (TAP).

The new concourse, which will serve both international and domestic passengers, is one of the largest components of O’Hare 21, a curb-to-gate transformation of O’Hare’s terminal complex into a modern, global hub designed to make the travel experience more efficient and comfortable.

Architectural renderings for Satellite Concourse 1 showcase a unique design led by renowned Chicago architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill with Ross Barney Architects, Juan Gabriel Moreno Architects, and Arup.

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Airport Expo & Job Fair draws more than 1,100 attendees to UIC Forum

The Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) hosted its third annual Airport Expo and Job Fair May 16 at the UIC Forum. The expo connected more than 1,100 job seekers, contractors and small business owners with employment and procurement opportunities within the department as well as both Midway and O’Hare International Airports.

Attendees had the opportunity to interview and apply for jobs with airlines, cargo operators and concessionaires. Other City agencies like the Department of Procurement Services were on hand to provide more information on the process of bidding on City contracts as well as for becoming certified as a minority-owned or disadvantaged business.

SPOTLIGHTING ACCESSIBILITY

CDA unveils new accessibility feature at Chicago's airports

In commemoration of Global Accessibility Awareness Day on May 16, the CDA announced its partnership with the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower program.

The program raises awareness of hidden disabilities and creates more accessible and inclusive spaces through the use of a Sunflower symbol. More than 1 billion people globally experience some form of disability and not all of those conditions are visible.

With nearly 100 million passengers traveling through Chicago’s airports each year, this new initiative allows the City to increase accessibility for all travelers at its airports.

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HONORING THOSE WHO SERVED

Midway hosts season's second Honor Flight

Honor Flight Chicago continued its 16th season at Midway International Airport on May 15 with a flight to take 113 veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces on a trip to Washington, D.C. to visit the National Memorials.

The flight, which is Honor Flight’s 114th at Midway and the season's second, carried one World War II veteran, one Korean War veteran and 113 Vietnam veterans from the Chicago area, representing the Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy.

Watch: The CDA asks Honor Flight veterans what Memorial Day means to them

CDA hits major milestone in T5 parking garage construction at O'Hare

The CDA and its construction partners celebrated the placement of the final beam on a new, six-story parking garage serving the recently renovated and expanded Terminal 5 on May 10. This “topping-off” marks a major milestone in the City’s efforts to modernize O’Hare.

When it fully opens to the public later this year, the new structure will more than double the amount of available parking at the terminal, which serves both domestic and international passengers. It will also incorporate state-of-the-art technology to improve the passenger experience, such as a parking guidance system offering real-time availability of parking spaces and electric vehicle charging stations.

The Terminal 5 Garage project is led by joint venture AECOM Hunt Clayco BOWA as Construction Manager at-Risk and supported by 60 participating contractors, including 14 minority-owned business enterprise (MBE) and 14 women-owned business enterprise (WBE) firms. The project reflects the CDA’s ongoing commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in airport contracting with a focus to certified MBEs, WBEs or disadvantaged businesses.

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Aviation students tour Midway facilities

Chicago Public Schools students from Curie Metropolitan High School – located in the Archer Heights community – visited Midway this month for a tour of their friendly neighborhood airport!

Students also got to hear updates from the CDA’s accessibility team and our airline partners at Southwest Airlines, the airport’s hub carrier.

Learn more about the CDA’s youth engagement and educational outreach efforts at FlyChicago.com.

CDA, ComEd celebrate energy-efficient lighting improvements at O'Hare

The CDA joined ComEd at O’Hare on May 9 to celebrate the completion of an ambitious, energy-efficient lighting project for Terminals 1 and 3. This project supports the City in realizing the benefits of cleaner and more efficient energy practices.

As part of the project, ComEd worked with the City to replace 685 metal halide outdoor lighting fixtures with energy-efficient LEDs. While the new lights are designed to improve safety and visibility, they are also estimated to help the airport save nearly 1.75 million kilowatt-hours a year.

The savings in kilowatt-hours help reduce from the air more than 1.1 million pounds of carbon emissions that contribute to climate change, which is the equivalent of powering nearly 160 ComEd customer homes for one year or planting approximately 630 acres of trees.

By working through the ComEd Energy Efficiency Program, the CDA earned more than $326,000 in incentives. Combined with the reduction in energy use and maintenance costs, the payback period – or the amount of time before O’Hare recoups its investment – is estimated to be less than one year.

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T5 renovation wins award for terrazzo

The National Terrazzo & Mosaic Association celebrated O’Hare’s newly-expanded and renovated Terminal 5 at its 2024 Honor Awards, recognizing contractor Menconi Terrazzo LLC of Bensenville with an award for its contribution to the project.

The renovation features 260,000 square feet of epoxy terrazzo, including floors in the International Arrivals Corridor that welcome travelers to Chicago in 29 languages.

United launches new seasonal service to Athens

United Airlines launched daily, summer seasonal service on May 23 from O’Hare to Chicago’s Sister City of Athens, Greece. The gate event to commemorate the launch featured dancers in traditional Greek outfits.

This is the carrier’s first-time offering flights to Athens from Chicago. United plans to offer more than 175 routes to O’Hare this summer – more than any other airline — including 15 European routes (compared to nine in the summer of 2019). 

New services to Canada – Winnipeg and Quebec City – also began on May 23 and service to the new airport in Tulum, Mexico increased to daily.

President Biden lands at O'Hare for Chicago visit

President Joe Biden landed at O’Hare aboard Air Force One on May 8 as part of a visit to the region for a campaign event in Wisconsin and a fundraiser in Chicago.

Marine One transported the president from O’Hare to Soldier Field for the downtown event.

This was President Biden's second visit to Chicago in two months, following another stop for a campaign event in April.

CDA continues community outreach for airport concessions opportunities

Concessions are a crucial aspect of Chicago’s airports, not just as an amenity for passengers but as a gateway for Chicagoans of all backgrounds to participate in two of our region’s greatest economic engines at O’Hare and Midway. Concessions contracts provide an opportunity for small and diverse local businesses to build generational wealth while creating job opportunities for Chicagoans from all 77 of our city’s neighborhoods.

Since last year, the CDA has also hosted two O’Hare Concessions Symposiums — one focused on how to open a business at the airport and another focused on financing a concession business.

Last year, the CDA celebrated the completion of the historic Midway Modernization Program with the reopening of our Southwest Side airport’s Central Market. More concessions opportunities are on the horizon as work continues to modernize O’Hare and Midway to meet the evolving needs of the traveling public.

Learn about upcoming concessions and contracting opportunities at O’Hare and Midway by signing up for the CDA’s web alerts on FlyChicago.com or see our list of upcoming community outreach events.

ChiOnTheFly entertainment series returns to O'Hare, Midway this summer

The CDA has announced the summer schedule and lineup for its #ChiOnTheFly entertainment series at O’Hare and Midway.

Many of the performances, which kick off on June 3, have been scheduled to coincide with summer music festivals, cultural events and holidays —including the Chicago House Music Festival, he Chicago Blues Festival, Juneteenth, Chicago Pride Fest, Independence Day, Labor Day and the Chicago Jazz Festival.

This summer’s scheduled performers include Eric Noden, the Smiley Tillmon Band, ReTurn2Soul and many others.

Check out the full schedule at FlyChicago.com

• Southwest Airlines: Midway (MDW) to San Francisco (SFO) seasonal 2x daily service starts on June 1.
• Southwest Airlines: MDW to El Paso, Texas (ELP) new daily service starts on June 4.
• American Airlines: O'Hare (ORD) to Dublin, Ireland (DUB) daily seasonal service starts on June 5.
• Avianca Airlines: ORD to Guatemala City, Guatemala seasonal 3x weekly service starts on June 2.
• Spirit Airlines: ORD to Boston (BOS) daily service starts on June 5.
• United Airlines: ORD to Joplin, Missouri (JLN) new daily service starts on June 1.