I’ve had hundreds of international arrivals into the USA over the last couple of decades, but my arrival in Chicago O’Hare from Frankfurt was unique…someone seemed to forget that it was an international arrival!

My United Airlines Flight Had A Security Breach At Chicago O’Hare…

First, a general note. The United States does not currently have so-called “sterile” international to international transit, unlike most of the developed world. If you’re flying from Frankfurt to Mexico City via Chicago, you will need to enter the USA by passing through immigration and customs, then proceed through security and back to your gate, even if your time on the ground in Chicago is only 90 minutes and you have no intention to remain in the USA.

There are very few exceptions to this (which I will not get into here), and my flight from Frankfurt was certainly not one of them.

In 2023, Chicago O’Hare completed its remodeling and expansion of Terminal 5. The expansion added 10 new gates to T5 and, importantly for purposes of this story, a reconfigured international arrivals facility.

A great solo travel tip spotted this week on Live and Let's Fly.