Aer Lingus to move from international Terminal 5 to Terminal 3 at O'Hare
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Aer Lingus is moving terminals at O'Hare International Airport, the Chicago Department of Aviation announced Wednesday.
The Irish flag carrier is moving from Terminal 5 – from which where nearly all international departures and arrivals operate – to Terminal 3, effective Wednesday, Jan. 24.
"Aer Lingus' move to Terminal 3 will create a more efficient travel experience for the carrier's passengers, allowing for more seamless connections to the countless domestic destinations O'Hare has to offer," city Aviation Commissioner Jamie L. Rhee said in a news release. "We welcome this opportunity to make it easier than ever for Chicagoans to visit the Emerald Isle and for Irish passengers to experience everything our world-class city has to offer."
Aer Lingus will primarily use Gate H15 in Terminal 3, which had been used previously by American Airlines. Aer Lingus has served O'Hare since 1966, and flies from Chicago to Dublin nine times a week.
There will be 14 weekly flights beginning in March, ahead of the summer travel season, the Department of Aviation said in a news release.
''Aer Lingus has a long and proud history flying to Chicago since 1966 and the Dublin to Chicago route is consistently one of our top three transatlantic routes," Susanne Carberry, Aer Lingus Chief Customer Officer, said in the release. Moving our operations to Terminal 3 in O'Hare International Airport is an exciting milestone and brings us closer with our airline partner American Airlines."
In the release, Carberry said the move to Terminal 3 will make it easier for travelers to make connections within the American Airlines network, and transfer more easily to other terminals.
American Airlines will offer connections from O'Hare to 117 domestic destinations during peak summer travel season, the Department of Aviation said. Aer Lingus is part of a transatlantic joint venture with American, British Airways, Finnair, and Iberia in which the airlines coordinate schedules and fares across the Atlantic.
Since Ireland is a pre-clearance country for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, travelers can go through U.S. customs while still in Ireland – before getting on a plane to the U.S. – and do not need to be screened upon arriving, the department said.
Currently, Terminal 5 operates all international flights except those on Air Canada, American, and United from airports with U.S. border pre-clearance.