There’s an athletic club at the Hilton at O’Hare airport which offers day membership for about $10, and has a pool, sauna and gym – worth bearing in mind if you arrive at the airport to find a long delay on your flight.

Hilton at O’Hare airport

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While the airport’s accessibility is stellar, its usability is anything but. It has 168 gates, a sprawling mass of barely intelligible corridors, abysmal shopping, hugely long security queues and – worst of all – almost inevitable delays. My advice? Make absolutely sure you buy a fully flexible, premium class ticket – this will enable you to use the security fast track, the premium lounges and, even better, change your flight at short notice. Or avoid O’Hare altogether. If you’re flying within the US, try to fly into Midway or Rockford – they’re much smaller and significantly less hasslesome.

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There are plenty of taxis outside the airports and, for those who were brought up watching 'To The Manor Born', you can book a limo to whisk you to your 5-star hotel suite in comfort (as in most US cities, Carey are the best provider). But public transport is probably your best ticket. Chicago is in fact, very unusually for the US, thoroughly served by public networks of buses and trains. The El Al, a rather spiffing elevated train, is the quickest and cheapest mode of transportation between O’Hare, Midway and The Loop.

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BMI fly direct to Chicago from Manchester. Don't forget regional airports when flying abroad - when you take into account heavier congestion around the London airports, it may prove to be quicker to fly from the regions.

www.flybmi.com

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It is quicker and cheaper to prebook a town car or limo to get from the airport to downtown. Some taxi drivers charge up to $80 while a town car costs only $55.

Nightstar limos is a good one. www.nightstarlimo.com

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