DePaul Study Urges Ways to Ease O'Hare Construction
Researchers recommend modular building and mobile boarding platforms as the ORDNext remake stretches toward 2034.
Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Air Travel
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A DePaul University study recommended strategies to lessen the impact of construction on O'Hare passengers during the ORDNext remake, which is expected to take until 2034. The Chicago Department of Aviation said it is working with the FAA and airlines to address taxi times.
Why it matters
Chicago's O'Hare is the city's main air gateway, and its passenger satisfaction score of 585 trails the 621 J.D. Power average. The next seven years of construction, including busy holiday weekends, will test travelers already facing longer taxi times than at most major airports.
O'Hare's 2026 J.D. Power satisfaction score is 585 against a 621 average, and outbound taxi times average 28.3 minutes compared with 20.8 minutes at 30 other major airports. Whether the Chicago Department of Aviation's planned fixes will close that gap has not been determined.
The players
DePaul University
A private Catholic university in Chicago whose researchers produced the study recommending ways to reduce construction-related disruption for O'Hare passengers.
Chicago Department of Aviation
The city agency that operates O'Hare International Airport and is working with the FAA and airlines to address taxi times.
Federal Aviation Administration
The U.S. federal agency that regulates American airspace and is working with the Chicago Department of Aviation on taxi-time issues at O'Hare.
The details
Researchers recommended modular construction, building sections of the terminal off-site, and mobile boarding platforms, battery-powered waiting areas on wheels that carry passengers between the terminal and planes. ORDNext includes a Global Terminal to replace Terminal 2 and two new concourses, and portions of Terminals 2 and 3 date back to 1962.
Timeline
2026: O'Hare's passenger satisfaction score is measured at 585.
Late 2028: Concourse D construction is scheduled to finish.
2029: Global Terminal construction begins.
2033: Global Terminal construction should end.
2034: ORDNext is expected to be complete, and the second phase of Concourse E should open.
Travel Outlook
ORDNext follows the 16-year O'Hare Modernization Program completed in 2021, which left portions of Terminals 2 and 3 from 1962 in place. The seven-year remake extends that build-out into the period when O'Hare's passenger experience is already trailing the J.D. Power average.
Travelers connecting through O'Hare should expect longer taxi times and construction-related disruption for the next seven years, especially on busy holiday weekends. Allowing extra time before flights is the most practical step while ORDNext proceeds.
The takeaway
The O'Hare remake will shape air travel in Chicago through 2034, so passengers who plan for longer taxi times and construction delays will be better prepared for the stretch ahead.
What happens next
Construction of the Global Terminal begins in 2029 and is scheduled to end in 2033, and the second phase of Concourse E should open in 2034.
Further reading
For more on how airport upgrades affect travelers, see Air Travel coverage for Chicago.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Daily Herald.
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