O'Hare in the Morning?

[inkkognito]

As our 1/17 flight approaches fpr our Disney cruise, I am getting a little nervous. We flew United over Thanksgiving weekend, in the afternoon, and there were virtually no check-in or security lines at O'Hare. This time, we're flying out at 6:45 a.m. on American, and I'm worried that the early morning is going to be a lot worse (since 9/11, we have started booking our flight the night before the cruise, but we already had these ressies before then). We booked a hotel room near O'Hare, but I'm wondering what time we should plan to be at the airport and what kind of lines we can expect to face. I'm tentatively planning to leave the hotel at 4 a.m. We'll be dropping our car off at the Avistar lot and taking their shuttle to O'Hare, which should put us there at 4:45 a.m., or two hours before our flight. Is that enough? Should we have just planned to bunk at the airport? Am I overly paranoid? Any info. will be appreciated. We will be in the same situation (same flight) for our trip in Feb. too.
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com

 

[CinderellaPrincess]

In the past (pre-9-11 days) when we took the 6:45am flight out of O'Hare, we would get to the airport at about 4:45am and always had an hour or so to spare. So I would say getting to the terminal about 4:00am should be good to allow time for checkin and security. I am always amazed though how crowded it has been that early in the morning!

 

[nluvwithdisney]

We haven't found O'Hare to be a problem early in the morning. We had the 6:45 flight out on a Friday at the beginning of November. The limo driver had us at the airport by 5:10 am. We made it through all checkpoints with still an hour to spare. 4:00 AM should be ample time with the increase in security checkin procedures.

 

[flyingcircus]

Is there a phone number for wait times at ORD? Here in Denver you can call 303-DIA-TIPS, and it is updated on the 1/2 hour on wait times for security.
I know earlier in the day, lines are usually longer because the 1st bank of flights leave around 6:30- 7:00. Plus all the passengers are originating from that airport ( haven't had to make connections first), and all have to clear security.
Good news- SLOW travel time!! Holiday travel will be completed by then, so not too many travelers! Have fun!

 

[inkkognito]

Thanks for the info., everyone! I tried to find a wait time phone # for O'Hare before our last trip and had no luck, so if anyone has one, I'd really appreciate it!! If we were just going to WDW, I wouldn't be so paranoid, as being late or missing a flight would only mean lost park time. But when we're going on the Disney Wonder, it could mean missing the ship!!
Barb
Visit the Platinum Castaway Club at: www.castawayclub.com