Anyone who has flown to Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) knows that once the aircraft lands, it does not mean the trip is over. Thanks to the hub’s eight runways and hundreds of daily departures, the airport’s elaborate taxiway system can add even more time to the trip before gate arrival.
On Friday, passengers traveling on 
United Airlines
flight 357 found out just how long taxi times can be at busy airports. The domestic hop from Virginia to Chicago O’Hare International Airport saw an impressive taxi time of 21 minutes – clocking a longer trip than a General Electric
Boeing 747 test flight that left from the same origin.
A Long Taxi in Chicago
UA357 was a scheduled passenger flight from Norfolk International Airport (ORF) in Norfolk, Virginia, to the carrier’s hometown of Chicago, Illinois, via O’Hare International Airport. The total flight time was one hour and 44 minutes, but upon arrival, more of the trip was still to come.
Photo: Minh K Tran | Shutterstock
The flight was operated by a Boeing 737-700, registered as N25707. According to planespotters.net, the aircraft is a 26-year-old model, and was first delivered to Continental Airlines in May 1998. It started the day in Cleveland and headed to Chicago as UA2465, then departed for Norfolk later as UA1439.
UA357 was scheduled to depart from Gate B29 at 15:20 local time. It was pushed back 10 minutes late, at 15:30, and departed from Runway 23 at 15:28. From there, it climbed to a cruising altitude of 38,000 feet and maintained a cruising speed of 420 knots.
The flight touched down in Chicago at 16:22 local time, but did not arrive at gate E10 until 17:01. The aircraft had taken 21 minutes to reach the terminal. This taxi time was over double the length of a GE flight operated by its 747-400 testbed, which had also departed Norfolk earlier that day.
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GE’s Boeing 747 Test Flights
It’s not often that 747s operate short-haul flights. It is even less frequent that flights are under 10 minutes. But N747GF, a test bed aircraft for General Electric, is designed to allow the manufacturer to test new designs and ideas by installing them on real aircraft. The aircraft has paid Southern Virginia a visit as part of its research.
In the coming week, GE will operate test flights out of nearby Langley Air Force Base. Also utilizing a Gulfstream aircraft, the company will be studying how aircraft can be more fuel efficient as part of a larger effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
According to FlightAware, like UA357, the flight took off from Runway 23 at Norfolk International Airport. Lifting off at 14:15, the flight to Langley took only 9 minutes from start to finish, and after cruising at just over 3,000 feet, the aircraft landed at 14:24.
Photo: Norfolk Airport
Taxi times are often long at hub airports, especially fortress hubs where airlines plan busy and robust schedules. The long taxi time of UA357 demonstrates that. But more busy departure banks allow for better connectivity for passengers, even if it takes them a bit longer to reach the gate.