Terminal 1 Security is a mess. Budget at least 30-45 min if you are going through standard Security - Aug 2026
Oh wow. I just experienced the worst security issues I have ever seen at the United Terminal 1 in ORD.
The big issue is that out of 3 security entrances, one has been given to TSA precheck, one has been sold by the airport administration to CLEAR, and one is left for the rest of us.
This results in 2 security entrances that are almost completely empty, and one that is spilling out into a line that extends in front of many check-in counters and snakes around, creating a line to even enter the first maze of security, which today was followed by a second line to walk with security dogs before a 3rd segment for ID check, and then a 4th area where there were maybe 4-5 machines for bag scanning? All told it took at least 30-45 minutes. I had forgotten the name of the one app that could have potentially warned me about this ridiculous situation. No TSA person was able to give me an estimate of how long the process would take as I entered this morass of inefficiency…
This sounds bad, but when I went through on my way to Europe 2 weeks ago, there were literally only 2 scanning machines available, resulting in 15-30 minutes wait for what seemed like no reason. The rest of the machines just sat there idle. TSA staff at the CLEAR security entrance were no doubt twiddling their thumbs as their machines lay idle, wasting power and resources. So dumb.
I am used to SFO, where they simply have fast lanes at each security entrance for TSA precheck and Clear, which allows for flexible and far more efficient utilization of the limited resources of TSA agents and machines.
I flew out of this terminal many times a few years ago, and I don’t recall this issue. If the problem is TSA staffing, maybe they need to reconsider dedicating 2 out of 3 security entrances to those who can pay for the luxury.
This all begs the question: why? How much are they being paid by CLEAR and how much $ is TSA precheck making? The only rational reason for this inefficiency and ridiculous system is complete incompetence and ineptitude, profit, or both. I have never experienced anything like it at any other US airport.