We are arriving in Dulles at 2:23 and our next flight leaves at 3:35... do you think we will make it? Same terminal - both flights are United... there is a later flight that would could take for more money at 5... but the United said that they are allowing the time necessary for us to get through customs.... I don't know... anyone go through Dulles customs recently???

Oh yeah, we are returning from a Europe trip. We are US citizens.

It just depends upon how many international flights arrive b4 u. You're arriving during the afternoon rush of incoming International flights and the lines can get pretty long sometimes if your plane is one of the later flights to land. Try to sit in the front of the plane so u can exit the plane quickly. U could easily make it with the right circumstances. If u miss your connection, UA should put u on the later flight assuming there are seats. I'd ask about this when u gt tickets at your outbound flight.

Problem is, a lot of Intl United flights come in at the same time. WE are going through the same issue - we took a chance with the short connection because:

We both signed up for US Global Entry which allows us to use kiosks to get through Immigration and to the head of the customs line

we will have carry on only

we have 3 flights leaving for SFO after ours so if we miss it we'll have 3 chances to get on one.

I can say almost surely you will not make it if you have checked luggage

PS Plus the large number of flight arriving means long lines at security as you have to re enter through security.

My experience at most US airports arriving from an international flight as US citizen and having bags to claim, it takes about an hour (actual time) from the seat belt sign going off to getting to the gate for the connecting flight. Sometimes longer, seldom less.

Most of my experience is at OHare. That is my usual/desired point of entry, although I have come thru Dulles several times. I would agree with rkkwan that about one hour is required.

I usually arrive at OHare when there are a number of int'l flts arriving at the same time. It is typically 45 minutes to one hour from the time I leave the plane to the time I'm catching my ride or walking to the parking lot to drive home. I can't imagine Dulles being any busier than OHare can get at about 2:00 in the afternoon!

Your international flight will arrive at Terminal D. I have yet to see a line at global entry; the last time we used it, 6 weeks ago, the only delay was how long it took us to fill out the forms on the touch screens.

In the customs area, there is a special global entry line to the left of the customs line. We went through that line and were asked forward immediately on arrival. We were told that we did not need to fill out the customs declarations and it was better to have those in our pockets just in case they were asked for. The entire process took less than 10 minutes from gate to exit, mostly spent in walking.

Because you are on the same airline for your connection, you should have your domestic boarding passes. Go up one floor and through security, it will be obvious to you when you get there. If you are running late, go to the priority line and ask the TSA agent for help in getting to the head of the line.

Then, take the Skylink to Terminal E. It is likely you will be closest to the escalator at D 11. Take the train that is going South, you are likely to find a sign stating which train to take. Try to get in the first car in your direction. It will take you no more than four minutes to get to Terminal E. United is at gates 4,5,7. Get off the train at second stop in Terminal E, turn right, in your direction of travel, and go down the escalator that is in you direction of travel. You should then be no more than 50 yards from your departure gate.

If you plane is on time, you will have no problem getting to your connecting flight with the global entry. If it is late, it becomes United's responsibility to book you on a new flight.

I'm not sure what Jeff801 is talking about. Dulles does NOT have a terminal E. UA flts almost always arrive and depart from either Terminal C or D. There is also no Skylink in IAD. There is a relatively new aerotrain, but u wouldnt use that going from terminal C to D or vice versa.

Jeff was thinking about DFW, while the rest of us are talking about IAD.

This has nothing to do specifically with Dulles (I've only gone thru their on domestic flights) BUT I would never take a connection with less than 2 hours that involved an immigration & customs check returning to the U.S. from somewhere overseas.
There's just too much that could go wrong (starting with first flight lands late, etc. etc.).

At Dulles, the time to get from the plane to the terminal seems... interminable. The plane doesn't pull up to the terminal - you have to get on these buses that raise up to the terminal height - they're kind of weird, and it takes awhile. I haven't done a connection there, but when returning home, the passport control lines, even when long, move pretty quickly. They usually have a lot of windows open. I think your connection time is a bit tight, so yes, hopefully you'll be able to sit near the front of the plane. And it indeed up to United to get you on a later flight if you do miss it.

oops, sorry about that. I misread the airport. Next time I'll have my glasses or longer arms on.

Last year returning from MEX and connecting at IAD, I was in the immigration line for an hour. Customs was not very long.

Two months later, returning from DME, there was no line at IAD immigration when I got there.

In both cases, I was in the front of the plane and got out quickly.

At Dulles it won't help to get off the plane first. You'll just get to sit in the "mobile lounge" ie weird bus longer. When it's full, they drive you to the new international arrival terminal which is at the end of the main terminal hall.

They make a real effort to keep the immigration lines moving quickly and I did see the kiosks for Global entry but that would have only saved about 5 minutes tops.

After immigration you have to claim your luggage and go through customs, then put your luggage back into the system. My bags were not checked through by Ethiopian but they had a guy right there with my United boarding pass, tagged my bags, and off I went. Surprisingly organized.

Then you have to go back through security and get back to the terminal/gate you are leaving from which will involve the Aerotrain or the mobile lounge again. There is an express security line by luggage carousel B I think.

It took about an hour from when we landed, and I encountered no major lines or snafus. I was glad I was not on my original connecting flight; United had changed the time and I would have missed it.

Give yourself 90 minutes MINIMUM at this airport for an incoming international to domestic connection.