Is 3 hours a safe layover for domestic - international change at ORD
I'm travelling from Pittsburgh to Abu Dhabi via Chicago in the Etihad flight. The whole booking is done under a single reservation -- so I didn't pick the time between the flights. However, since in the US airports I need to collect my luggage, change terminal from domestic to international, check in my luggage again, pass through immigration and security check -- I'm concerned if the layover between the flights (around 3 hours) is enough or not. I'll be grateful if anyone who travelled through this path can share the experience.
Clarification: I'm a foreign national in US, so my visa needs to be stamped when I leave, hence the immigration step. However, I'm more concerned about the time all these processes take.
Update after the travel: My guess was wrong, there is no emigration check when I leave, and also don't need to collect and re-check-in the baggage. However, one needs to go from the domestic terminal to the international terminal and go through another round of security check (the security check was detailed and long, perhaps in the wake of a recent terrorist attack in Brussels, I would not suggest to have a short layover - should have at least 1.5 hours in hand).
Best Answer
There is no difference between a domestic-to-domestic transfer and a domestic-to-international transfer in the US. The US has no exit checks. Someone leaving the US (no matter American or foreigner) does not "get stamped" or otherwise get any checks from the government.
In the US, there is no difference procedurally between international departures and domestic departures. That means you don't necessarily "switch terminals" or "collect baggage" or go through any "checks". In particular, I've personally done a domestic-to-international transfer at ORD by simply walking down the terminal from one gate to another. It's exactly just the same as transferring to a domestic flight except for the location written on the destination sign. (Well, my transfer was from United to United, so it was natural it was in the same terminal. It's entirely possible for your transfer to be to a different terminal, especially if you are transferring to a different airline, but it has nothing to do with whether your second flight is domestic or international.) If it's on the same ticket, the baggage will almost certainly automatically transfer over, no matter if you have to change terminals or not.
You haven't given enough information to determine what terminals you will go through. In particular, Etihad doesn't serve Pittsburgh, so at least the first flight is operated by a different airline (probably American Eagle, Frontier, or United). Assuming that your second flight is operated by Etihad, Etihad does depart from Terminal 5 (the "international" terminal) at ORD. The first flight will probably go to a terminal other than 5 (e.g. American Eagle and Frontier use Terminal 3, United uses Terminals 1 and 2), so you will probably have to change terminals. It doesn't seem like there's any after-security transfer between Terminal 5 and other terminals at ORD, so it seems like you would have to go through security again. I think 3 hours is probably sufficient, but that is just me.
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Is a 3 hour layover enough time?
FYI: A long layover isn't one that's less than 3 hours, so let's not get dramatic! In fact, we recommend that you book at least an hour or more of a layover to give both you and your luggage time to catch your connecting flight.How long do I need for layover ORD?
Try to schedule domestic connecting flights with at least 1.5 hours cushion time. For international flights, leave at least 2.5 hours. Planes almost never arrive as scheduled.Do I have to go through security again for connecting flight domestic to international?
For connecting domestic flights, you almost never have to exit and reenter security, though there are some exceptions at airports where the terminals aren't all connected. For domestic-to-international connection, it's still pretty rare that you have to exit and reenter security, even if you're changing terminals.What is the minimum connecting time necessary to change planes at the airport for connection?
For domestic flights in the U.S. minimum connection times range from 30 minutes to 2 hours, and for international connections, from 1 to 3 hours.A Basic Guide to Layovers
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