MDW departures August 2022

[jl2481]

Hi all: I’m interested in hearing about anyone’s recent experience departing from MDW on a weekday morning. My parents have an 8:50am flight on 8/10, and they are each checking a bag. How long did it take for you to complete bag drop off and go through security? How were the lines at food vendors? Thank you in advance. 

[TheMiddleSeat]

@DancingDavidE

@chgoflyer

--TheMiddleSeat

[DancingDavidE]

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@jl2481 wrote:

Hi all: I’m interested in hearing about anyone’s recent experience departing from MDW on a weekday morning. My parents have an 8:50am flight on 8/10, and they are each checking a bag. How long did it take for you to complete bag drop off and go through security? How were the lines at food vendors? Thank you in advance. 

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Food lines have been a little longer than in the past. My go-to is Billy Goat or Reilly’s Daughter pub in the A concourses for breakfast omelette.

Mixed on the check in lines - I suggest the curbside check-in if possible, it can be faster than going inside if you aren’t A-list. Inside check-in has been long a few times but I haven’t flown that early recently. I’ve been using O’Hare a bit more as well.

[DancingDavidE]

Security screening lines - no idea!

I use CLEAR and PreCheck so I'm a bad person to ask in that regard. 

On that note I'm happy to say MDW has added CLEAR lanes though. 

So if you go to a case of carry-on only and using the expedited screening I have a few times showed up at the curb 45 minutes to the flight, parked the car in economy lot, and still made it. But that's not during the morning rush, that would be a more challenging time of day to try that.

My issue with MDW was the last time we returned from a destination late at night I ended up taking an uber over to the economy garage due to there not being any shuttle buses running. I yelled over to the line "who wants to came with me?" and ended up bringing one of the Southwest pilots along to the garage who was waiting. 

[dfwskier]

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@DancingDavidE wrote:

Security screening lines - no idea!

I use CLEAR and PreCheck so I'm a bad person to ask in that regard. 

 Agree. I've had Clear for about 2.5 years and in my 70+ flights during that time have never spent more than about 2 minutes in line at any airport - DAL/DFW/DEN/ MDW/ORD*/STL . It really is a supercharged PRE.

I'm lucky in that UA comps the fee as I am still United 1K.

*except terminal 5 which has no Clear so PRE is as good as it gets.

[parpitt1]

When in Chicago, I usually fly out Friday morning early, it's usually pretty busy to check a bag, I drop mine at the A-list line so it's easy for me, without that option you may want to curb check and tip the sky cap, pre-print your boarding pass or have it on the SWA App and go directly to the TSA lines, (if your folks have TSA Pre than plan about 5 minutes, without that could be 20-30 minutes in line easy.

I'll be at Midway this Friday morning and report back....

Safe travels.

[DancingDavidE]

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@parpitt1 wrote:

When in Chicago, I usually fly out Friday morning early, it's usually pretty busy to check a bag, I drop mine at the A-list line so it's easy for me, without that option you may want to curb check and tip the sky cap, pre-print your boarding pass or have it on the SWA App and go directly to the TSA lines, (if your folks have TSA Pre than plan about 5 minutes, without that could be 20-30 minutes in line easy.

I'll be at Midway this Friday morning and report back....

Safe travels.

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The curbside team is great, sometimes they see me with all the kid gear and even have literally come out to the curb to help me wrangle all of the car seats, etc. Make sure you have something around $2/bag or so for tips. feel free to round up to nearest $5.

Don't pull into the curbside lane too soon, people are dropping off all over up there, head up to the front to try and get a spot. 

One time the lines were really long inside and I went to the curbside even though I had arrived by CTA. 😁

[jl2481]

Thank you!

[parpitt1]

Easy trip out of Midway this morning, busy at regular TSA, (15 minutes maybe?), TSA-pre line was maybe 3 minutes. It was early, 05:00, so everything food wise was just starting to open, long lines at the Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks, nothing too long elsewhere.

My flight was packed, not an empty seat, the jump seaters actually had to ride the jump seats.

Safe Travels

[DancingDavidE]

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@parpitt1 wrote:

Easy trip out of Midway this morning, busy at regular TSA, (15 minutes maybe?), TSA-pre line was maybe 3 minutes. It was early, 05:00, so everything food wise was just starting to open, long lines at the Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks, nothing too long elsewhere.

My flight was packed, not an empty seat, the jump seaters actually had to ride the jump seats.

Safe Travels

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Do you mean Big Shoulders or Cafe Espresso? No Starbucks (new one at Archer and Cicero though).