American Airlines Flagship Lounge, Chicago O'Hare: Great ground experience

After almost 5 wonderful days in Chicago, it was time to head back to Boston for the end of our vacation! A very, very short vacation indeed… A very, very short vacation indeed…

Check-In and ground experience

We left the hotel about 2 hours 15 minutes before our flight to Indianapolis. As usual, traffic was heavy in Chicago, and it took us almost 45 minutes to get to O’Hare. Our driver dropped us off in front of Terminal 3 about 1.5 hours before our flight to Indianapolis was due to depart.

My wife and I proceeded to the Flagship First area, reserved for oneworld Emerald, AA ConciergeKey and long-haul First passengers.

After checking our eligibility, we were invited to enter the check-in area, and the formalities for Indianapolis and Boston were completed.

The hostess was absolutely adorable, and escorted us both through the security checkpoint line, me to the normal line and my wife to the TSA Pre line.

After a quick check, we were airside.

Location and welcome

So off we went to the Flagship lounge located between concourses H and K of terminal 3.

It’s co-located with an Admirals Club lounge, which we skipped.

The reception was charming, and the hostess asked us if we knew this lounge. I answered positively, and we were invited to enter after receiving our Flagship lounge access card.

The Flagship Lounge is located on the second floor of the terminal, while the Admirals Club is on the third floor.

Lounge design

The design of the lounge is very successful, and has not changed since my last visit almost a year before this one.

Plenty of space is available for relaxing, dining or working.

Catering

As in all American Airlines Flagship lounges, the food and beverage offer is of the highest quality, with numerous hot dishes, a high-quality cold buffet with charcuterie and cheeses, and a self-service full bar with real champagne. Strong spirits are also available, in a wide variety and high quality.

We’ll be making a small selection of both savoury and sweet dishes, which are also of good quality.

Bottom line

An excellent stay in this lounge, and a very qualitative experience on the ground with the Flagship First check-in area. It really makes you want to fly through Chicago!

Itinerary

As a reminder, here is the itinerary followed:

#	Type	Post
1	Diary	Planning summer vacation 2023 in the USA
2	Hotel	Fairfield Inn by Marriott, North Conway (New-Hampshire)
3	Hotel	AC Hotel by Marriott, Portland (Maine)
4	Flight	Paris-Copenhaguen – SAS – SAS plus
5	Lounge	SAS Gold Lounge Copenhagen
6	Flight	Copenhagen-Gothenburg – SAS – SAS Plus
7	Hotel	Avalon Hotel – Gothenburg
8	Restaurant	Carbon, Gothenburg
9	Lounge	SAS Lounge – Gothenburg
10	Flight	Gothenburg-Copenhagen – SAS – SAS plus
11	Lounge	American Airlines Admirals Club lounge, Boston Logan
12	Flight	Boston – Chicago O’Hare – American Airlines – Domestic First
13	Lounge	Eventyr lounge, Copenhagen
14	Flight	Copenhagen-Chicago – SAS (operated par Hifly) – Business Class
15	Hotel	The St. Regis, Chicago
16	Hotel	W Chicago Lakeshore
17	Restaurant	Signature Room at the John Hancock Center, Chicago
18	Restaurant	The Purple Pig, Chicago
19	Restaurant	Obelix, Chicago
20	Restaurant	Cabra, Chicago
21	Restaurant	Miru, Chicago
22	Diary	Visiting Chicago
23	Lounge	American Airlines Flagship Lounge, Chicago O’Hare
24	Flight	Chicago O’Hare – Indianapolis – American Airlines Domestic First
25	Flight	Indianapolis – Boston – American Airlines Domestic First
26	Lounge	SAS Lounge – Chicago O’Hare
27	Flight	Chicago O’Hare-Stockholm – SAS – Business Class
28	Lounge	SAS Gold Lounge, Stockholm
29	Flight	Stockholm-Gothenburg – SAS – SAS Plus
30	Hotel	Scandic Rubinen – Gothenburg
31	Restaurant	Project, Gothenburg
32	Flight	Gothenburg-Copenhagen – SAS – SAS Plus
33	Flight	Copenhagen-Paris – SAS (Operated by Jet Time) – SAS Plus
34	Diary	Debriefing summer vacations in the USA