Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
MIDWAY INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT
On the opposite end of the city, the
Southwest Side, is Chicago's other
major airport,
Midway International
Airport
(
&
773/838-0600
). A new
terminal, which opened in 2001, has
eased considerable crowding problems
and expanded the selection of restau-
rants and shops. Although it's smaller
than O'Hare and fewer airlines have
routes here, Midway is closer to the
Loop and attracts more discount air-
lines, so you may be able to get a
cheaper fare flying into here. (Always
check fares to both airports if you
want to find the best deal.) A cab ride
from Midway to the Loop usually
takes about 20 minutes. You can find
the latest information on both airports
at the city's Department of Aviation
website: www.chicagoairports.com.
Airlines that fly to Chicago's Mid-
way International Airport are
AirTran
(
&
800/247-8726; www.airtran.
com),
ATA
(
&
800/435-9282; www.
ata.com),
Continental
(
&
800/525-
0280; www.continental.com),
Fron-
tier
(
&
800/432-1359; www.frontier
airlines.com),
Northwest
(
&
800/225-
2525; www.nwa.com), and
South-
west
(
&
800/435-9792; www.south
west.com). The toll-free numbers
listed are for use in the United States
and Canada. ATA and Southwest
operate the most frequent flights in
and out of Midway.
GETTING INTO TOWN
FROM O'HARE AND
MIDWAY
Taxis are plentiful at both O'Hare
and Midway, but both are quite easily
accessible by public transportation as
well. A cab ride into the city will cost
about $30 to $35 from O'Hare, and
$25 to $30 from Midway.
One warn-
ing:
Rush hour traffic can be horren-
dous, especially around O'Hare. If
you've got to get downtown in a
hurry, the El can actually be faster
than driving.
If you're not carting enormous
amounts of luggage, I would highly
recommend taking public transporta-
tion, which is convenient from both
airports. For $1.50, you can take the
El (vernacular for the elevated train)
straight into downtown. O'Hare is
located on the Blue Line; a trip to
downtown takes about 40 minutes.
Trains leave every 6 to 10 minutes
during the day, and every half-hour in
the evening and overnight. Getting
downtown from Midway is even
faster; the ride on the Orange Line
takes 20 to 30 minutes. (The Orange
Line stops operating each night at
about 11:30pm and resumes service
by 5am.) Trains leave the station every
6 to 15 minutes. The train station is a
significant walk from the terminal—
without the benefit of O'Hare's mov-
ing sidewalks—so be prepared if
you've got heavy bags.
Both airports also have outposts for
every major car-rental company (see
“Getting Around,” in chapter 5, for
details).
Continental Airport Express
(
&
888/2-THEVAN;
www.airport
express.com) services most first-class
hotels in Chicago with its blue-and-
white vans; ticket counters are located
at both airports near the baggage
claim (outside Customs at the interna-
tional terminal at O'Hare). For trans-
portation to the airport, reserve a spot
from one of the hotels (check with the
bell captain). The cost is $21 one-way
($39 round-trip) to or from O'Hare
and $16 one-way ($30 round-trip) to
or from Midway. Less expensive “group
rates” are available for two or more peo-
ple traveling together, which are com-
parable to what you'd pay to share a
cab. The shuttles operate from 6am to
11:30pm. For limo service from either
O'Hare or Midway, call
Carey Limou-
sine of Chicago
(
&
773/763-0009
),
or
Chicago Limousine Services
(
&
312/726-1035
). Depending on
the number of passengers and whether
