CHICAGO, July 17, 2017 - A fun, family lounge has popped-up at Chicago O'Hare International Airport for the summer. The Fly with Butch O'Hare lounge is a gathering place to relax, take selfies, re-charge cell phones and devices, and to learn about the Fly with Butch O'Hare mobile game collaboration with DeVry University.
The "Fly with Butch O'Hare" concept helps pay tribute to the airport's namesake, Edward "Butch" O'Hare. This year marks the 75th anniversary of Butch O'Hare's historic actions in World War II, saving the aircraft carrier Lexington. He was honored with the Navy's first Medal of Honor, and in 1949 the Chicagoland airport, Orchard Field was renamed Chicago O'Hare in his honor.
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The lounge is currently set up in Terminal 3 near Gate H3. |
The lounge is a high-energy colorful display for passengers to stop and enjoy before heading on to their gates. Chairs with cushions and foot stools are positioned around plentiful cell phone charging stations. The back wall of the lounge is a sea of "O's" in varying sizes and colors on a field of blue; a playful representation of the "O" in the airport name. The carpet delineates the lounge in light and dark green chevrons and a seating area of bright orange. Overhead, a miniature plane is piloted by Butch O'Hare, who is visible in the cockpit.
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An eight-foot sculpture of O'Hare's airport code "ORD" dominates the lounge and is perfect for gathering your traveling party around to snap a photo. Other photo opportunities are available; posing with a nearly-life-size cut-out of Butch O'Hare, and a cut-out wall where passengers take a back seat in Butch's plane.
A flat Butch O'Hare (on a stick) is available for pick up at the lounge, or at sign bins located throughout the domestic terminals. Passengers are encouraged to pose with the flat Butch O'Hare while in the airport or while on their travels throughout the world. Passengers can then post their photos online with the hashtag: #FlyWithButchOHare for a chance to be featured on O'Hare Facebook page (fly2ohare).
To make the Fly with Butch O'Hare lounge available to passengers throughout the airport, the lounge is scheduled to rotate to all three domestic terminals:
Also at the lounge, signs and a video invite passengers to check in often at the website: www.FlyChicago.com/FlywithButchOHare to see the development of a camera filter and The Fly with Butch O'Hare mobile game. Level-one of the free game is scheduled for completion this August.
For more information about DeVry University visit www.DeVry.edu.
Most airport layouts were designed when passengers played cards while waiting for a flight because an onboard meal was an expectation and the very idea of a smartphone would have been laughable.
What was once a mess of beam seating everywhere now has a multi-function use: part lounge, part cafe, part office and a wealth of amenities. New uses of spaces as well as new types of furniture are finding their way into the airport because today's passenger is really focused on getting to point B rather than the journey itself. Airport design and furniture elements have a stronger impact on the passenger experience than one may realize. There's the comfort. The durability. The usability.
Matt Dubbe from Mead and Hunt and Joe Agati from Agati Furniture will tackle these questions and others in: Airport Interiors are Experiencing Massive Change: What You Need to Know.
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Airport Interiors: What You Need to Know - (Flash)
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Airport Interiors: What You Need to Know - (MP4 video)
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Airport Interiors: What You Need to Know - (podcast)