Time to allow for U.S. Customs (from Europe)
 

Hi there. I posted this on an older thread about airfares and decided to re-post it as a new question. We are looking at purchasing a round-trip flight to Europe, but the second leg of our return trip home in mid-June arrives in Philadelphia at 1:50 p.m. on a Thursday, with only a 1 hour, 35 minute layover before departing for Charlotte. Assuming we arrive in Philly on time, will this be adequate time for us to go through customs before heading to Charlotte? Thanks for sharing your experience with this.

Do the flights arrive and depart from the same terminal?

U.S. Airways can't guarantee what terminal we'll be arriving/departing from, but the rep I just talked to assured me that the 1 hour, 35 minute time is ample. Let's hope she's right!

You'll be going through US Customs in Europe at the departure airport. In Philly you're just changing planes. 1.5 hours should be enough, if the first flight is relatively on time.

I believe that you will have to wait for your luggage to be unloaded, then claimed, then you have to go through US Customs, and finally re-check your luggage before your flight home.

You will have to go through customs at your initial arrival into the US, and then proceed on to your next stop.

You don't go through "Customs" unless you have something to declare. Don't know why most Americans can't get the difference between Customs and Immigration. At any rate, if your plane lands on time, you're fine.

Correct, StCirq. In my post i meant to say Immigration, which is done at the departure airport (last time I checked :)

"In my post i meant to say Immigration, which is done at the departure airport (last time I checked "

Only if your flight started at Dublin or Shannon, or if you took the BA all-business class flight from London City Airport.

Collectively, such flights account for less than 1% of westbound transatlantic passengers. The other 99% of us wait in the US to be processed.

How long that takes depends on how many immigration staff there are on duty and how many other planes arrive at the same time. Neither is under the control of the reservations clerk who gave you the advice, and I'd investigate what happens if you don't get through on time if I were the poster.

flanneruk, so only in Canada and Ireland the US Immgration is done at the departure port? I thought this was done everywhere after 9/11... I travel often between Canada/US and Canada/Europe, but almost never US/Europe, so I guess I took that for granted... was I wrong?

You will NOT go through US Customs OR Immigration <B>in Europe</B> and when you arrive in Philadelphia here is what will happen:

if you have any checked luggage you will have to wait for it to be unloaded, retrieve it from the carousel, take it through Customs and Immigration and then turn it in for the final leg to Charlotte.

<B>Then</B> because you have had access to your checked baggage you will go through Security again and only then will you be rolling to whichever one of those five concourses your flight to Charlotte leaves from.

Will you have enough time? I would say and from prior experience that it all depends on how many other international flights arrive at the same time yours does, how many people are going through security, how many Immigration agents are on duty, etc., etc., but you're already scheduled for those flights you have, you aren't going to change them, so why worry?

Every time I've returned through the supposedly horrid Philadelphia on the supposedly substandard and dangerous to your health USAirways I've made it on time and I suspect so will YOU. Enjoy your trip.

"was I wrong?"

Yes.

US Air has hubs from Europe in both Philadelphia and Charlotte. Granted not all European departures go to both, but you might want to investigate this.

dave

Probably not.

And your problem is not customs (which is usually only a couple of minutes) but Immigration - which can have long lines if several interantional flights come in at once.

So, assume yuo have to:

1) taxi to terminal
2) deplane
3) wend your way to Immigration
4) wait on line and go through Immigration
5) wend way to baggage carousels
6) wait for baggage
7) pick up bags and go to customs
8) wait on line and go through customs
9) recheck bags
10) wait on security line
11) dash to gate

Does this seem likely?

Don't like it - talk to them about another flight.

And if US Scare has hubs in both Philly and Charlotte, why can't you get from Europe to one OR the other instead of having to hit both on your way back to San Antonio?

Run the numbers - it could be better to go in and out of Houston or Dallas and use long term parking. Part of the high cost of your tickets (per your other thread) comes from using a San Antonio as your departure point.

I wouldn't chance it. The Philadelphia airport is always a mess and after too many delays, missed connections, etc., we now avoid it at all costs (our home airport is Boston). We've cleared immigration at Charlotte a few times and it's one of the easier entry airports I've ever experienced. We recently cleared through Atlanta and needed every minute of our 2+ hours. They had very few immigration officers on hand and there was at least one other planeful of passengers in line before us.

If your departure is Shannon (Ireland) then you actually DO clear immigration and customs there so there might not be a problem with you making your connection in PHL.

If it's a legal connection i.e. it's listed in the US Air schedule, there is no need to worry for the most part. If you miss your connecting flight, the airline will put you on the next available flight. Normally, all the times I've gone through US customs and immigration it's been at Kennedy and really have no way of knowing if Philadelphia is dramatically different. However, the queues for immigration for US citizens and green ard holders usually move pretty quickly. The immigration officer scans your passport to make sure you have no unpaid traffic tickets or warrants outstanding and that's it. It's a little tougher on US non citizens or non permanent residents as with the exception of Canadian citizens you get finger printed and photographed as if you were a criminal thanks to the post 9/11 paranoia, as if that really is going to make a difference but some people think it does. Then you have to ait for your baggage to come out on the conveyor belt. At this point you proceed to the exit where a customs inspector will look at yor declaratio and most likely let you pass. This is clearing customs. On the other side the airline will have a place where you drop off baggage that has been tagged to the final destination. If yo acquired liquids duty free you have to put them in your luggage at that point as you will go through the standard security check before you can get to your departure gate, you know lap tops out, coats off, belts off, shoes off. If the plane is relatively on time, no weather, no ATC delays, you should be okay. If not, then you are at the mercy of the airline......