We are coming through here on our way home and have a connecting flight. Last time our experience was so terrible being caught in a crush of bodies from 3 or 4 incoming planes and then being funneled into 2 lanes to go through security all over again. If all out-going flights hadn't been delayed, we would have missed our flight. I remember once reading here about how to exit the airport after clearing customs and coming back in again to avoid this mess, but now I can't find the info. Can you help me out? Thanks.

I gave that info to our kids when returning last year. They didn't need it at all. But as I recall, you just left the secure area and re-entered. I haven't done it, of course, but you have to re-check your baggage anyway to your connecting flight (yes?). I can't believe that going back through an outside security check point would be a time saving move. Phila is a daunting airport at best.

I'm not sure what information you may have read before. The only way I can think you would do this is to clear immigration and Customs, follow the signs for Parking and ground transportation (you'll be taking the elevator to the ground floor). Exit from Terminal A at the ground transportation area, go to your right and walk along the sidewalk to Terminal B or C, go back in and follow the signs for the gates. If you are a USAir preferred, there is usually a faster security line at the Terminal C entrance(not always at terminal B), and you can get to gates at either Terminal B or C through either one. I live in Philadelphia and we use USAir a lot both for domestic and international flights, if there's any other information I can help with.

Philadelphia is my home airport, so I don't have to deal with connections through there. But on the last 2 or 3 occasions where I flew internationally, most recently in February, the immigrations and customs checkpoints seemed to be much better staffed and more efficient. The lines moved reasonably quickly. Hope you have no problems.

Thanks. Our problem wasn't getting through customs & immigration, it was going through security again afterwards. We breezed right through immigration and dropped off our bags for our next flight. the problem became getting through security agin because the lines were 45 to 60 minutes long. There were only two counters for probably 500 to 700 people, and we were stuck with no alternative.

Oh I feel your pain, having entered the US at PHL from Munich in October. We followed the info provided in the earlier post you referenced, walking outside the airport as KT Tomlinson reports above. We found the line at that security point just as long and as disorganized as the one we abandoned. We did make our on-going flight though. Here's hoping the situation is better now.