No way
-lifelong chicagoan

It depends. Is it an early flight so that you can easily catch a later one if you miss the connection? I go through ORD all the time and would only do this before 2 pm.

I'd say yes except on the way back from Kalamzoo they will make you gate check luggage and that can hold you up. On the way there you'd be fine because first leg is on a big plane.

Anonymous wrote:Definitely not. You might miss your flight and you definitely won’t have time to go to Tortas Frontera.

The real problem here.

I grew up in Chicago. it's enough time, though not ideal. The people spouting about different terminals and security lines obviously don't travel.

You can make it if you are the first out of the plane as soon as the door opens and you make a very quick dash to the next gate. Very quick run.

ORD is my main airport. If it's early in the day during a non-busy time to fly, then sure. If there are a few more flights that day to D.C., then you should be perfectly fine. Just be prepared and expect to miss your connection. If you need more certainly, 90 minutes minimum.

But yeah, you often land in O'Hare and then it seems like 20 minutes taxiing to the gate, and then there's still a plane at the gate that's running late. And there goes your buffer.

Sure, if you know the airport, maybe, but these days, you can’t always count on just getting on the next flight on stand by. It might be sold out.

I’ve done this before, connected from DCA to an ORD-Paris flight in 45 minutes. It was the same terminal, though. The gate agent upgraded me to seat 1A on the DCA-ORD leg so I’d be the first off the plane and told me to sprint. It was fine, but if I had to wait to disembark and then strolled over I would have missed the flight.

I say go for it, but you need to hustle.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No.

Why would you set yourself up for stress and hassle by planning this short of a connection??

Why would an airline offer this as an option?

Agree. Schedule is probably made by computers, but no matter the airport, 45 minutes isn’t much time. It allows for not a single hiccup. That said, if the gates are close to each other, you might make your connection. If you miss it, there are plenty of flights from ORD to DCA.

Anonymous wrote:That’s very risky, but I would still just go for it when flying east. There is an ORD-DCA flight every couple of hours on American. I would not do the reverse because I assume there are only a couple flights a day to Kalamazoo. If American is selling you the ticket, it’s within their minimum connection time and they have to get you home.

This. Look carefully at your options for later flights.

IF your flight arrives on time (and by "arrives" I mean "passengers actually getting into the terminal"), you'll have ~~30 minutes before the doors close for your flight to DCA. 30 minutes should be enough but if you are traveling with kids or anyone who moves slowly, it likely won't be.

I'd be hesitant to book it for myself EVEN THOUGH I walk fast, know my way around airports, and have enough status to be at the top of the standby list.

That’s very risky, but I would still just go for it when flying east. There is an ORD-DCA flight every couple of hours on American. I would not do the reverse because I assume there are only a couple flights a day to Kalamazoo. If American is selling you the ticket, it’s within their minimum connection time and they have to get you home.

No. Especially since they tend to close the doors before the departure time.

Definitely not. You might miss your flight and you definitely won’t have time to go to Tortas Frontera.

Anonymous wrote:No.

Why would you set yourself up for stress and hassle by planning this short of a connection??

Why would an airline offer this as an option?