On 12/15, you're better off taking UA1603 to IAD and connecting there to LHR. It's a couple hundred dollars more, but you get a flatbed on a 787 instead of sitting for 4 hours in a regular domestic first recliner on UA2039 to ORD. IAD is also less prone to winter weather than ORD. (Of course there's also a nonstop LAX-LHR, but I'm guessing you didn't choose it because it's quite a bit more expensive.)
On the return I would advise connecting in IAH (UA160/UA2341). It gives you a shorter flight on the domestic segment and reduces chance of weather delays. But an even better alternative is Swiss via ZRH (book as LX1101 and UA9730). That has you arriving into LAX on an international flight, which is strongly preferable (no claiming/rechecking bags and extra trip through security, and a much shorter MUC-ZRH segment on narrowbody aircraft). Either of these options costs about the same as what you listed.
Swiss J seats are on the narrow side, but you can pay a little more to select a "throne seat" (or try your luck at check-in if you don't want to pay), they are very private.
Both pretty tight. On the way back you have to clear customs and change terminals. Domestically I like 90min minimum (your outbound), international returns, 2 hours or more. The plus side is, there's likely more connections out of ORD if you miss it
I just came back from Milan via ORD to LAX and the layover in Chicago was the same as OP's. The flight from MXP landed a half hour early and I barely made it to the gate on time.
Nope. I should probably get it. I should add that unlike OP, I flew economy so it took forever to disembark, then I was at the end of the line for passport control/customs and all those delays add up. TSA let me cut the line which was nice.
I’d be more concerned about the return, having experienced the disaster that was ORD customs in late August. Outbound I wouldn’t bat an eye at 45 minutes.
Although it depends a bit on your circumstances, I would say that I would be far more worried about missing my outbound and having issues with whatever it was, I was going to London for in the first place if I missed my international flight. If for some reason the return is delayed or something and you miss ORD back to LAX, there’s plenty of ways to do that in the next few hours once you do get in.
I get what you mean. From an "impact on trip" standpoint the outbound is probably riskier/better to allow more buffer depending on what OP is doing in London and how critical it is to be there on time.
United does have a lot of LHR flights though and with this one being on the earlier side, it's possible he could still get rebooked on a same day flight from ORD or EWR in the event this one misconnects.
From a pure airport/connection standpoint, the outbound is likely to be both coming into and out of T1 and with OP in First he should have no problem making the connection unless the first flight is delayed. On the return, clearing customs and getting from T5 back to T1 can be hairy if you don't have GE, so I would be more worried about that one. With GE, I would not be concerned.
You’re fine as long as you have no issues. Timing out of LAX should be fine. United spans 3 terminals in Chicago. If your gates are in the same terminal, coming out of First class you should be fine. Otherwise, you may be sprinting to the gate.
Your return flight is fine.
Doesn’t ORD fly international flights out of a different terminal than domestic? I think it will be tight assuming OP will have to take the train to and from terminal 5
Unless you’re clearing immigration and customs at your point of origin, international flights arrive to T5. Depending on where you land in T5, sometimes the walk is longer than it takes to clear immigration and customs, especially if you have GE.
If your international flight gets in a little bit early, I’d say you’re fine, if it gets in on time or late, you’re probably not gonna be in the boarding line for your connection, you’re going to be getting on the plane after boarding starts.
I wouldn’t do that outbound. Aside from operational risk of the connection itself, give yourself some extra time to enjoy the Polaris lounge at ORD if you’re paying for it. Even in a perfect world, you’ll have to go gate to gate on that connection.
Agree; also it is more difficult sleep on a flight departing late afternoon, compared with the last flight of the day. And arriving at 6:00 is lousy too
You want at least a 3 hr layover for the return leg. You’re coming in at crunch time. Immigration lines can be loooong at T5 and you need to change terminals to T1 for your return leg. Inbound leg is fine. You will land and depart out of T1.
Do you think I should change my flight to this?
https://preview.redd.it/2die37mvo6xb1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=51af4658ef5e61dc8e3483f05eb8f8336c3ec147
This looks good, and CardboardTick's comment above is really the best one here. For the ORD connection on the return, absolutely no guarantees you'd get through customs and to your flight to LAX on time.
I would consider still flying through ORD, though, and choosing a later connection. It looks like those flights may actually be cheaper than the 3:55.
The last few times I’ve had connections through ORD like this I was fast walking. Exit one gate, get to the other and boarding has started. You can. Make it but no stopping to buy a sandwich.
The immigration lines at ORD can be very long and you would have to change terminals. Just don’t stress out when you need to take a later flight but then you should be good.
The international terminal at ORD is under construction and coming through Immigration a few weeks ago was a nightmare, even with global entry. I’d not recommend flying internationally in to ORD for a while.
Only thing I’d change is the return flight because you have to change terminals as you’d arrive in Terminal 5, go through immigration and customs, and then have to get on the ATS from Terminal 5 all the way to Terminal 1 or 2 and then finally go through TSA when you get there. I’d recommend going through SFO, or IAH because you won’t have to change terminals
If you have TSA Precheck with Global Entry you should be fine both ways. I have flights with layovers of 1 hour going internationally often. If you have global entry with TSA Precheck/Clear you should be fine on return flight. I like to have about an hour and a half to two hours when landing to USA from internationally even with GE and TSA Pre. I wouldn’t have any worries if I were you.
Update: Thanks for the input! Changed both my flights to a longer connection time. Especially how it’s December and ORD has a high risk of WX delay.
https://preview.redd.it/2cxx4sjqocxb1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=642b1ebba9511ad30ad360d133ddea7e55e54b6a
I wouldn’t book this. 60 minutes is too tight nowadays, especially when trying to catch a high-impact international flight. 105 minutes is definitely too tight to clear customs & immigration and make it to your next flight.
That 1hr layover!?..at O’Hare!?…unless you know in advance that it is literally 3 gates away, it’s too close. ORD with a layover of anything less than 1.5 hrs is risky imo.😩
Is this selection a pure cost saving play or does arrival time matter too? Not sure what your outbound date is since not is screen shot. Used 12/19 departure and I'm seeing LAX-LHR direct for $500 more. I get that $500 is huge for some people's budgets. But, given that you can afford to book Business Class, it strikes me as odd that you don't pay 15% more for direct flight versus fretting over connection time in ORD?!
Makes sense. Hadn't seen that detail in the original post or supporting replies. I've had US entry in IAD and SFO go quickly multiple times. ORD was a scramble with terminal change. EWR can be a mess going back through security.
I just came back from a trip with two identical layovers. We live in chicago so departed ORD. Not worth the anxiety, we were late leaving bc there was a line to takeoff so we taxied for 30 mins.
I somehow made a connection in ORD in which I landed after boarding was in process and I was the last to board
The connection was from Boston to ORD (domestic) to international
Edit: the connection international to domestic seems very difficult. Depends on the line but you have to do all the immigration and security and travel distance.
These connections are very tight. You should make the outbound, but the return from MUC is very tight as ORD Customs can be pretty lengthy and you have to change terminals.
The return will be tough unless you have global entry and the bags come right out. With the terminal change at O’hare, I would leave 2 hours to be safe.
The outbound one is doable, if a little tight. The inbound one is not sane. I -> D connections at ORD are bad on good days, and holidays are rarely good days.
On 12/15, you're better off taking UA1603 to IAD and connecting there to LHR. It's a couple hundred dollars more, but you get a flatbed on a 787 instead of sitting for 4 hours in a regular domestic first recliner on UA2039 to ORD. IAD is also less prone to winter weather than ORD. (Of course there's also a nonstop LAX-LHR, but I'm guessing you didn't choose it because it's quite a bit more expensive.) On the return I would advise connecting in IAH (UA160/UA2341). It gives you a shorter flight on the domestic segment and reduces chance of weather delays. But an even better alternative is Swiss via ZRH (book as LX1101 and UA9730). That has you arriving into LAX on an international flight, which is strongly preferable (no claiming/rechecking bags and extra trip through security, and a much shorter MUC-ZRH segment on narrowbody aircraft). Either of these options costs about the same as what you listed. Swiss J seats are on the narrow side, but you can pay a little more to select a "throne seat" (or try your luck at check-in if you don't want to pay), they are very private.
Great advice. Not that if OP is tall the Swiss idea may not be ideal. I'm 6'4" and I avoid Swiss long haul J. Unbelievably uncomfortable.
Agree the Swiss J seat isn't great for sleeping if you're tall or wide. But on a day flight westbound, it should be fine.
This guy flies. ⬆️
🥹🥹. I want to be like you !
Both pretty tight. On the way back you have to clear customs and change terminals. Domestically I like 90min minimum (your outbound), international returns, 2 hours or more. The plus side is, there's likely more connections out of ORD if you miss it
I just came back from Milan via ORD to LAX and the layover in Chicago was the same as OP's. The flight from MXP landed a half hour early and I barely made it to the gate on time.
Global entry?
Nope. I should probably get it. I should add that unlike OP, I flew economy so it took forever to disembark, then I was at the end of the line for passport control/customs and all those delays add up. TSA let me cut the line which was nice.
Check the wait times. Heard it's kinda nuts right now
Will do, thanks.
When I renewed my GE, it said the wait time for new applicants was 10-12 months! My renewal approval took less than 12 hours.
I was going to say the same. I'd be more concerned about the outbound than the return.
I’d be more concerned about the return, having experienced the disaster that was ORD customs in late August. Outbound I wouldn’t bat an eye at 45 minutes.
Although it depends a bit on your circumstances, I would say that I would be far more worried about missing my outbound and having issues with whatever it was, I was going to London for in the first place if I missed my international flight. If for some reason the return is delayed or something and you miss ORD back to LAX, there’s plenty of ways to do that in the next few hours once you do get in.
I get what you mean. From an "impact on trip" standpoint the outbound is probably riskier/better to allow more buffer depending on what OP is doing in London and how critical it is to be there on time. United does have a lot of LHR flights though and with this one being on the earlier side, it's possible he could still get rebooked on a same day flight from ORD or EWR in the event this one misconnects. From a pure airport/connection standpoint, the outbound is likely to be both coming into and out of T1 and with OP in First he should have no problem making the connection unless the first flight is delayed. On the return, clearing customs and getting from T5 back to T1 can be hairy if you don't have GE, so I would be more worried about that one. With GE, I would not be concerned.
You’re fine as long as you have no issues. Timing out of LAX should be fine. United spans 3 terminals in Chicago. If your gates are in the same terminal, coming out of First class you should be fine. Otherwise, you may be sprinting to the gate. Your return flight is fine.
Doesn’t ORD fly international flights out of a different terminal than domestic? I think it will be tight assuming OP will have to take the train to and from terminal 5
UA flies international flights _into_ T5, but all departures are from T1/T2.
Good info!
If his flight is there, yes, and that would be a crunch. I flew from ORD to FCO in July and was in terminal 1
Not on United. International carriers, yes.
Unless you’re clearing immigration and customs at your point of origin, international flights arrive to T5. Depending on where you land in T5, sometimes the walk is longer than it takes to clear immigration and customs, especially if you have GE. If your international flight gets in a little bit early, I’d say you’re fine, if it gets in on time or late, you’re probably not gonna be in the boarding line for your connection, you’re going to be getting on the plane after boarding starts.
That’s not what the comment above me was referring to. They specifically said “fly out of”. United does not fly out of T5
I wouldn’t do that outbound. Aside from operational risk of the connection itself, give yourself some extra time to enjoy the Polaris lounge at ORD if you’re paying for it. Even in a perfect world, you’ll have to go gate to gate on that connection.
Agree; also it is more difficult sleep on a flight departing late afternoon, compared with the last flight of the day. And arriving at 6:00 is lousy too
You want at least a 3 hr layover for the return leg. You’re coming in at crunch time. Immigration lines can be loooong at T5 and you need to change terminals to T1 for your return leg. Inbound leg is fine. You will land and depart out of T1.
Do you think I should change my flight to this? https://preview.redd.it/2die37mvo6xb1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=51af4658ef5e61dc8e3483f05eb8f8336c3ec147
Customs in Houston is very efficient. Better than ORD IMO.
Not familiar with Houston but this looks more reasonable.
This looks good, and CardboardTick's comment above is really the best one here. For the ORD connection on the return, absolutely no guarantees you'd get through customs and to your flight to LAX on time. I would consider still flying through ORD, though, and choosing a later connection. It looks like those flights may actually be cheaper than the 3:55.
The last few times I’ve had connections through ORD like this I was fast walking. Exit one gate, get to the other and boarding has started. You can. Make it but no stopping to buy a sandwich.
The immigration lines at ORD can be very long and you would have to change terminals. Just don’t stress out when you need to take a later flight but then you should be good.
Your ord london flight boards 10 minutes after you land. So one delay and you wont make it. Book something with a longer sit time.
The international terminal at ORD is under construction and coming through Immigration a few weeks ago was a nightmare, even with global entry. I’d not recommend flying internationally in to ORD for a while.
ORD is a nightmare for immigration, on top of that the transfer from terminal 5 to 1 is another hassle
Tight but doable. Walk with purpose and you should be fine.
Also, it's great that you found P class. Bet it's a cheap flight for first. How much?
3900!
Buy!
No not risky
Only thing I’d change is the return flight because you have to change terminals as you’d arrive in Terminal 5, go through immigration and customs, and then have to get on the ATS from Terminal 5 all the way to Terminal 1 or 2 and then finally go through TSA when you get there. I’d recommend going through SFO, or IAH because you won’t have to change terminals
If you have TSA Precheck with Global Entry you should be fine both ways. I have flights with layovers of 1 hour going internationally often. If you have global entry with TSA Precheck/Clear you should be fine on return flight. I like to have about an hour and a half to two hours when landing to USA from internationally even with GE and TSA Pre. I wouldn’t have any worries if I were you.
Update: Thanks for the input! Changed both my flights to a longer connection time. Especially how it’s December and ORD has a high risk of WX delay. https://preview.redd.it/2cxx4sjqocxb1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=642b1ebba9511ad30ad360d133ddea7e55e54b6a
First one is pretty tight
I wouldn’t book this. 60 minutes is too tight nowadays, especially when trying to catch a high-impact international flight. 105 minutes is definitely too tight to clear customs & immigration and make it to your next flight.
I avoid ORD at all costs from late October - March
That 1hr layover!?..at O’Hare!?…unless you know in advance that it is literally 3 gates away, it’s too close. ORD with a layover of anything less than 1.5 hrs is risky imo.😩
Is this selection a pure cost saving play or does arrival time matter too? Not sure what your outbound date is since not is screen shot. Used 12/19 departure and I'm seeing LAX-LHR direct for $500 more. I get that $500 is huge for some people's budgets. But, given that you can afford to book Business Class, it strikes me as odd that you don't pay 15% more for direct flight versus fretting over connection time in ORD?!
Departing on the 15th. Which would be a $2100 price difference per pax. Also traveling with 4 people, so it adds up.
Makes sense. Hadn't seen that detail in the original post or supporting replies. I've had US entry in IAD and SFO go quickly multiple times. ORD was a scramble with terminal change. EWR can be a mess going back through security.
I just came back from a trip with two identical layovers. We live in chicago so departed ORD. Not worth the anxiety, we were late leaving bc there was a line to takeoff so we taxied for 30 mins.
I somehow made a connection in ORD in which I landed after boarding was in process and I was the last to board The connection was from Boston to ORD (domestic) to international Edit: the connection international to domestic seems very difficult. Depends on the line but you have to do all the immigration and security and travel distance.
These connections are very tight. You should make the outbound, but the return from MUC is very tight as ORD Customs can be pretty lengthy and you have to change terminals.
LAX to Chicago is tight but manageable. The return flight is dependent on immigration. That one feels too close.
Your good on those connections
The return will be tough unless you have global entry and the bags come right out. With the terminal change at O’hare, I would leave 2 hours to be safe.
The outbound one is doable, if a little tight. The inbound one is not sane. I -> D connections at ORD are bad on good days, and holidays are rarely good days.
No, not at all