I've never traveled outside of the US but am planning a trip right now. I have a few questions...

I'll be arriving at LHR around 7:00 AM on a Friday morning in late May. Does anyone have any specific thoughts/comments about the average wait time to get through customs/immigration for similarly timed arrivals? I understand, of course, that things can change drastically from day to day.

When I leave it will be out of Venice (VCE) on a Sunday morning in the middle of June. I have two main options and I'm looking for some advice as to what would be the easiest. I can either connect through Paris (CDG, with 2 hours or 5 hours between flights) and then go on to my home airport of I can fly from VCE to JFK (a few options here, too - approximately 2 hours, 4 hours or 7 hours between flights) before leaving for my home airport. If I fly through CDG will I go through customs/immigration & security at both VCE and CDG & my home airport or just one of the two in Europe plus at home? I'm flying Delta and their partner airlines and am not planning to check any luggage (unless VCE and/or CDG will not allow me to have a small roller suitcase along with a backpack in the cabin, which I know I am allowed to do while leaving the US). If I fly through JFK do I go through immigrations/customs in VCE & JFK and fly in with no further checks in my home airport? If this was your trip which airport connection would you choose and how many hours would you pick for the connecting flight?

Additionally, I will be flying with some expensive camera equipment in the backpack. I've heard that I might need to register the camera equipment here in the US to keep from being charged a fee when I bring the equipment back. Does anyone have any thoughts/experience with that? It was also mentioned to me I might have to pay a fee to bring that equipment into LHR because of its value. Does anyone know anything about this?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Are you just connect at LHR on your outbound travel or are you entering the U.K.? I can answer one question: when you return to the U.S. you will go through immigration and customs at JFK.

When I arrive at LHR I'm staying in London for a week, then I'll be using trains to travel to Paris and Venice before flying back out from Venice.

If you fly VCE-CDG-home, you'll go through security only VCE. Passport control at CDG to leave the Schengen common travel area. At your home airport, you go through US immigration and customs.

If you fly VCE-JFK-home, you'll go through passport control and security at VCE. At JFK, you'll go through US immigration, claim bags, go through US customs, drop off bags and then reclear security.

Therefore, if you do have a non-stop flight from CDG to your home airport, then it's less troublesome to connect via CDG than JFK. But usually, that also means a very early flight out of VCE to connect.

Why aren't you taking the nonstop from Vce to JFK home on Delta? Wouldn't it be easier?

There is no non-stop to my home (DTW) from VCE via Delta. JFK is a connecting airport. I have to connect to get home and CDG or JFK are the best option time frame wise. It almost sounds like it's easier to connect through CDG and deal with all immigration/customs stuff at DTW (home airport). What do the rest of you think? If I do connect through CDG will the 2 hours to connect work or should I pick the 5 hour one? I'm not familiar with the setup of their airport in relation to domestic vs. international travel and terminals. Actually, that brings up another question... since Venice and Paris are both part of the EU does that mean that the flight from Venice to Paris is looked at as domestic or international? And how does that impact someone like myself who will be continuing onto an international flight?

Both France and Italy are part of the Schengen common travel zone, so there is no passport control between those countries usually, and a VCE-CDG flight similar to a "domestic" flight in the US, where you only go through security.

At CDG, there are gates that are on the Schengen side and gates that are on the non-Schengen side. If you fly VCE-CDG-DTW, you will have to go through immigration control at CDG. They may or may not stamp your passport, but there is a checkpoint, unlike US or Canada or the UK, which do not have passport control for leaving those countries.

Does VCE also have a passport checkpoint for people leaving the EU? If not, that could be a time advantage to flying VCE to JFK to DTW as opposed to connecting through CDG. If VCE has the same thing as CDG I guess it doesn't make much difference... unless VCE is a much smaller airport and easier to get through?

Check and see if the Delta nonstop from Venice to Atlanta is running in May so then you would do customs there (which is wonderful as there are many agents and its fast) before you would connect up to Detroit.

If you fly VCE-JFK, you'll go through passport control at VCE to exit the Schengen area. 2 hours should be fine for either connection.

This might be a silly question, but will VCE and CDG have English speaking people posted at security/passport control? Or is that one of those things where there will be one person doing that and therefore it's the line that can get really backed up when flights are leaving to the US?

Passport agents at emigration are people of few, if any words. When it's your turn you step up, hand them your passport, they look at your picture, make a few grins, swipe the passport into the computer, perhaps stamp it, and hand it back to you.

Security is the same. It's not all that different from US security procedures, and sign language goes a long way if instructions are needed.

But yes, there will be English speaking agents around if you need to have a conversation.

A few thoughts:

1) Average wait time at LHR immigration can be up to an hour or so. Definitely a major PITA. Customs is nothing really, just walk through the nothing to declare line and you likely want even have to speak to anyone.

2) You very well might have to clear security at CDG. I have never managed to avoid re-clearing security when connecting to 2E. Still, it isn't the end of the world and they do a good job managing the security lines.

3) Security is largely the same, but there are some differences. Shoes can stay on, but belts must come off. Boots, however, must come off. Also, some agents at CDG like to make you take all electronics and all cables out of your bag, which is a PITA. They always seem to have English-speaking folks when I go.

4) I don't think I have ever gone through exit formalities at CDG, and have certainly never had my passport stamped there when leaving the EU.

All in all, even with the fact that you will likely end up going through security at CDG, I would still connect there, as it remains the easier option. You don't have to wait for bags and re-check at your arrival airport in the US, and the lines for immigration at JFK and ATL can be significantly longer than DTW, so even with the extra security at CDG, it will be a shorter and less stressful connection.

If you go through CDG, you may have more screening before boarding a plane to the US. It somewhat depends on what is going on in the world at that time, but often planes originating from anywhere in Europe headed to the US have another gate screening, further security questions, etc. But not a big deal.

My husband was in logistics for years and trained me to plan our trips much as he did for commercial shipping--always get as close to your destination as possible in the first leg in case the connection is canceled or delayed, you might have more short options. So, if I can, I fly from home airport to Europe, then connect in Europe. Same on return, fly from Europe to anywhere in US, then connect. Unless there is some complicating factor such as winter weather, summer thunderstorms in afternoon, that makes me avoid a specific airport.

Last year I booked a cheap ticket without following my own rules, connecting through EWR to/from Europe. With afternoon thunderstorms my flight into EWR was grounded at BWI for 3 hours (along with lots of other flights), so I missed my connection and was rebooked leaving hours later on a plane packed with unhappy fliers with an extra stop in Scotland. I would have gotten to my destination about 12 hours faster if I had followed my rule.

While investigating further, and looking through everyone's suggestions (thanks so much for them, by the way!), I've discovered that if I take the train over to Rome from Venice that I can get a direct flight to DTW. I wasn't planning on going to Rome during this trip but perhaps it would be worth shaving 1 day off of another destination to get there the morning before departure and see a couple of the sights? Does this sound like a good plan or is the Rome airport difficult? I know from flying a lot domestically that there are certain airports I prefer not to use based on several factors that make them more of a PITA than others. What are your thoughts on the Rome airport?

Checkin and security at the old international terminal were a major PITA. Not sure if it's improved with the relocation to T5(?).

I would not schlep from Venice to Rome just to avoid connecting somewhere (CDG or JFK).

Unless you wanted to take some real time to actually see some sites in Rome, I wouldn't bother taking the train there. Connecting in CDG or JFK simply isn't that big of a deal to justify the hassle.

<i>It somewhat depends on what is going on in the world at that time, but often planes originating from anywhere in Europe headed to the US have another gate screening, further security questions, etc. But not a big deal.</i>

These extra questions are for US-flagged carriers. The CDG-DTW flight is on Air France, so you likely won't see that level of questioning.

That's interesting, travelgourmet.
I know these days I just go with the flow and whatever the security requirements happen to be one place/destination to another.

Just last month I flew on Qantas from New Zealand to the US and had to go through a second security check before the gate where all passengers were given full body pat down and luggage search while making idle chatter that may not have been.

Domestic NZ flights on Air NZ did not require any ID anywhere.

"Check and see if the Delta nonstop from Venice to Atlanta is running in May so then you would do customs there (which is wonderful as there are many agents and its fast) before you would connect up to Detroit"


Atlanta? Fast??? Compared to what?

Sorry, but it has lots of "booths" and it's fast for visitors to the US. If you are a citizen... I have seen lines that are legendary....

Given what happened at xmas in Detroit, when you get on any US bound plane you will go through tight security at the gate....they will go through all your hand luggage as I understand it now (it used to be only "random" now everybody gets the frisk).....almost all airports even on transit passengers enforce some kind of security...I just don't know how much these things have tightened since Detroit.