Airport Travel Checklist

Before you book your airport ride

Gather the trip details first, because the pickup time and vehicle depend on them.

• Flight number, date and departure time for every leg, including the return.
• Airport and terminal: Milwaukee Mitchell (MKE), Chicago O'Hare (ORD) or Chicago Midway (MDW).
• Number of passengers and bags, including golf bags, skis or strollers.
• Child or booster seats needed for younger travelers (a paid add-on with Milwaukee Fly Limo, requested at booking).
• Exact pickup address and any second stop on the way.
• Return trip: book the ride home at the same time as the ride out.

Those details are what Milwaukee Fly Limo uses to plan rides to Milwaukee Mitchell, Milwaukee to O'Hare transfers and Midway car service.

The week before your flight

Use the week before the flight to fix anything that cannot be fixed at the airport, starting with identification.

• REAL ID, passport or other accepted ID for every adult traveler. REAL ID enforcement began May 7, 2025.
• Airline rules: check-in window, bag drop cutoff and checked-bag fees for each airline on the trip.
• Ride confirmation: pickup time, address and phone number for the ride team.
• Weather outlook for Milwaukee, Chicago and your destination.
• Home prep: mail hold, thermostat and a key for whoever checks on the house.

The day before you fly

The day before is for packing to the TSA rules and checking in online.

• Online check-in and boarding passes saved on your phone.
• Liquids in one quart-sized bag, each container 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) or less.
• Holiday food: pies and cakes can go in a carry-on; cranberry sauce, gravy, jams and maple syrup go in a checked bag.
• Phone, charger and medications in your carry-on, not your checked bag.
• Flight status check in the airline app, and a final look at the forecast.
• Pickup time confirmed with your ride.

Travel day

On travel day, the goal is to reach the terminal at least two hours before a domestic flight and three hours before an international one, the guidance the Chicago Department of Aviation repeats from TSA and the airlines.

• Flight status checked before you leave the house.
• ID, wallet, phone and boarding pass in one easy pocket.
• Bags by the door before the pickup time.
• Ride team's number saved in your phone.
• At the airport, two hours early for domestic flights, three hours for international.

Airport security checklist

At the TSA checkpoint, have your ID out at the entrance and your liquids bag ready to pull from your carry-on.

• ID in hand at the checkpoint entrance, as TSA asks.
• Quart-sized liquids bag on top of your carry-on.
• No ID with you? Travelers without acceptable ID can pay $45 for TSA ConfirmID, which TSA says can take up to 30 minutes, so arrive with extra time.

Coming home: arrival pickup checklist

When you land, collect your bags before calling for the car, because at O'Hare a pre-arranged car can take between 5 and 20 minutes to reach the pickup area.

• Phone on as soon as you land, to see messages from your ride team.
• Luggage claimed, then call or text that you are ready.
• O'Hare: go to the lower level center lane at your terminal.
• Midway: go to the lower level center lane at Doors 1 and 2.
• Milwaukee Mitchell: use the meeting point your ride team confirmed before you flew.

Thanksgiving and December holiday additions

Holiday weeks need the same checklist plus more time, because the Sunday after Thanksgiving is the busiest day for U.S. air travel on record: TSA screened 3,134,613 people on Nov. 30, 2025.

• Book the airport ride early, as soon as flights are set.
• Add driving time on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after, when Wisconsin highways are busiest from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Pack holiday food to the TSA rules above.
• Expect bigger crowds on the weekends just before and after Christmas, when Chicago's airports see their year-end peaks.
• Check the snow forecast: Milwaukee averages 10.4 inches of snow in December.

The holiday airport travel guide explains the peak days, traffic windows and winter weather behind these steps.