INVESTING IN INFRASTRUCTURE

Mayor Johnson celebrates completion of Northeast Cargo campus at O'Hare

Mayor Brandon Johnson joined the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) and its construction and cargo partners at O’Hare International Airport Thursday to celebrate the completion of the airport’s Northeast Cargo campus, which has vastly improved the airport’s cargo capacity and bolstered its position as a global shipping hub.

The third and final phase of the Northeast Cargo campus, developed by Realterm, opened for cargo operations last year, with some final punch list items completed this year. The project added an additional 130,000 square feet and two aircraft parking positions to the existing cargo area.

The Phase III ramp can accommodate up to a dozen jumbo freighters per day and process more than 100,000 metric tonnes of cargo per year. The building’s roof also features an array of more than 2,500 solar panels that can generate an estimated 1.25 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually.

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CHICAGO ON THE WORLD STAGE

President Biden, Vice President Harris arrive at O'Hare for DNC events

Elected officials, delegates, dignitaries and other guests from across the United States made their way to Chicago this month to attend the 2024 Democratic National Convention.

Vice President Kamala Harris landed at O'Hare on Aug. 18 to attend the convention and ultimately accept the party's nomination for this year's presidential election. President Joe Biden arrived aboard Air Force One the next day.

They were greeted on the airfield by a delegation of local elected officials.

Aira app brings visual interpreting services to O'Hare, Midway

Passengers at O’Hare and Midway who are blind or have low vision can receive assistance with the help of the Aira app, which is now available at both airports. The app, developed by visual interpreting company Aira, is free for users inside the airports, with costs covered by the CDA.

Users can access the Aira app on a smartphone or other device and connect with a trained visual interpreter. The user will receive assistance from information conveyed by surroundings either from a camera view or what is shared on a screen. The official Aira “Interpreter” is then able to send directions back to a user — or “Explorer” — for users to be able to check in for a flight, go through security checkpoints, or locate concessions.

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O'Hare wins 'Favorite Airport Dining' Trazee Award five years in a row

Trazee Travel honored O’Hare with its Favorite Airport Dining award for the fifth consecutive year at the 10th annual Trazee Awards ceremony on Aug. 12 in Nashville, Tennessee. Castalia Serna, the CDA's Deputy Commissioner of Workforce Development, accepted the award on behalf of the department.

The Trazees are voted on annually by the publication’s readers in various categories. Trazee Travel, which targets readers ages 25-40, is the sister publication of Global Traveler magazine.



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CDA celebrates grand openings of new concessions in O'Hare's Terminal 5

The CDA welcomed five new concessions to Terminal 5 at O’Hare during a series of grand opening events on Aug. 13. Publican Quality Bread, Six Points Market, Metropolis Coffee Company, InMotion and BLVD & Branch all bring a variety of food, beverage and retail options to the airport.

Publican Quality Bread is operated by HMSHost and a part of the Chicago-based One Off Hospitality Group that specializes in whole-grain, long-fermented baked goods. Publican — whose sister establishment is the Fulton Market charcuterie Publican Quality Meats — operates locations in the West Town community and suburban Oak Park. The bakery’s goods are served at more than 70 Chicago establishments and are available for sale at 12 Chicagoland locations, and through their partners, they also operate Publican Tavern in Terminal 3.

The new Terminal 5 locations for Six Points Market, Metropolis Coffee, InMotion and BLVD & Branch were developed through operating partnerships with specialty retailer WHSmith North America.

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1.75 million passengers expected at O'Hare, Midway for Labor Day weekend

Capping off a busy summer travel season, the CDA is prepared to welcome nearly 1.75 million passengers to Chicago's airports between Aug. 29 and Sept. 3 for the Labor Day holiday weekend, according to projections from airlines.

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AMAC awards scholarship checks to CDA interns

Five CDA interns received scholarship checks from the Airport Minority Advisory Council (AMAC) this month. Edgar A. Andraus (DePaul University), Diego Dagoberto Carrillo (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign), Byron Hamilton Jr. (University of Chicago), Melissa Islas (Harold Washington College) and Justin Zhen (University of Rochester) were each awarded a $1,000 check at the ceremony on Aug. 1.

Terminal 3 Rotunda gets a refresh

The Terminal 3 Rotunda at O’Hare has gotten a facelift! The CDA Terminal Operations and Design and Construction teams worked to refresh the area with new seating, carpet, lighting and a fresh coat of paint, making for a more serene space for customers waiting to catch a flight.

Emirates celebrates 10 years at O'Hare

This August marked 10 years of Emirates service at O’Hare. In that time, the carrier has flown more than 1.7 million passengers on more than 7,000 flights.

The CDA thanks Emirates for its commitment to connecting Chicago to Dubai and beyond!

CDA hosts Denver, Atlanta airport staff for Eno AirMAX conference

The CDA hosted airport administrators and staff from Atlanta and Denver for the Eno AirMAX conference from Aug. 25-30. Mayor Johnson visited the CDA's offices at O'Hare to speak with conference attendees on Aug 29.

Participants learned the ins and outs of operations at O’Hare and Midway and attended workshops, presentations, airport tours and networking events to connect with CDA staff and leadership.

The AirMAX program is designed to foster collaboration among airports with similar operational or management characteristics. Each airport hosts a week of programming for administrators from the other participating airports to share best practices, offer tours of the airport facilities and create networking opportunities for aviation professionals. Earlier this year, CDA staff attended similar programming hosted by airport officials in Denver and Atlanta. 

EVA Air unveils new 'Hello Kitty' aircraft livery at O'Hare

EVA Air debuted new "Hello Kitty"-themed livery for its aircraft at O’Hare on Aug. 28 with a gate event in Terminal 5 and a water cannon salute on the airfield. The celebration featured live music, cake, a photo booth and a non-alcoholic champagne toast.

Protein Bar & Kitchen now open at O'Hare

Protein Bar & Kitchen is now open near Gate M16 in Terminal 5. Chicago’s original health-conscious restaurant offers a curated selection of grab-and-go breakfast, salad and wrap options in addition to retail snacks and beverages.

Sen. Duckworth highlights amenities for families at O'Hare

To commemorate National Breastfeeding Month, Sen. Tammy Duckworth made a social media video highlighting her legislative work to ensure that safe, clean and private spaces like the Mother’s Rooms and Mamava lactation pods at O’Hare and Midway are available to parents on the go at airports across the country.

Check out the video here

• American Airlines: ORD to Evansville, Indiana (EVV) new 2x daily service starts on Sept. 4.
• American Airlines: ORD to New York (JFK) 2x daily service increases to 3x daily starting on Sept. 4.
• United Airlines: ORD to Birmingham, Alabama, 2x daily service increases to 3x daily on Sept. 1.
• United Airlines: ORD to Tucson, Arizona (TUS) daily service increases to 2x daily starting on Sept. 1.