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How to make a connection in 1,5 hr in Dulles, coming from overseas?

How to make a connection in 1,5 hr in Dulles, coming from overseas?

Old Jul 9th, 2012, 04:59 AM
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How to make a connection in 1,5 hr in Dulles, coming from overseas?

My wife will be travelling from Sao Paulo to Boston the day after tomorrow (July 11th) and she doesn't speak English at all.

Her flight lands in Washington's Dulles at 6:37 and her connecting flight to Boston leaves at 8:10 am. These flights are all UA's flights under the same reservation.

Because we used miles to buy her tickets I have having trouble to change the domestic flight to a later one (around 12:30 pm) and I am really concerned about the fact that she may not make it in time to the domestic flight.

- Everything indicates that this flight from Sao Paulo (UA-860) will park at concourse C and her domestic flight UA-1477 will also depart from the same terminal.

Besides the immigration and customs procedures that I have already instructed her about, I am worried what she should do next because this airport is really huge and it seems very confusing to me from a distance.

So my questions to those experienced with Dulles are:

1. After she gets her luggage, what is the next step? Does she have to go upstairs to the Departure level to recheck her luggage or she can do it somewhere else near the customs? I believe she will have her domestic boarding pass in hands when she leaves Sao Paulo.

2. After she rechecks the luggage, where is the security clearance? Any particular instruction I should giver her?

Thanks for any help you can give me.

Ricardo
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Old Jul 9th, 2012, 05:27 AM
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Are you certain she will be unable to check her claimed for Customs luggage right there? I would think she could do so and then head directly to the domestic departure gate. There shouldn't be any reason to go to the ticket windows which are in the main part of the terminal.
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Old Jul 9th, 2012, 05:36 AM
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I haven't flown into Dulles in years but I fly internationally a lot and no matter which airport I arrive at in the US the procedure is essentially always the same.

After your wife clears Immigration she will be directed to the baggage claim area to collect her luggage. She will then be directed to the exit. Once outside customs there will be a "baggage recheck area" when she simply hands off her luggage and it will be put on her connecting flight.

She will then be directed to the closest TSA checkpoint. No need to worry, there are always attendants nearby that can direct her where to go. In some instances she just simply follows the overhead signs to the correct concours or sometimes there are even colored lines or "footprints" on the floor for her to follow. She can check on the gate/concourse for her flight by using the "Departure" monitors near the baggage recheck point. When in doubt all she has to do is show her connecting flight boarding pass to the agent at the baggage recheck area and they will direct her toward the correct TSA checkpoint.

Hope this helps.
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Old Jul 9th, 2012, 06:26 AM
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Thanks RoamsAround! I very seldom go to the States so I didn't know how to help her - this information you gave me will definitely make her feel calmer.
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Old Jul 9th, 2012, 09:20 AM
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In Sao Paolo, make certain that they tag her baggage as BOS, just an extra precaution that we always take even though these days they seem to get it right 99% of the time.

If her flight leaving Sao Paolo is running late, like more than 45 mins behind schedule, you can talk to United and have her re-booked on a later connecting flight in Dulles,so that she knows in advance that she won't be "stuck". Legally, if she is going to miss her legal-connection-time in Dulles, they are not even supposed to put her on the Sao Paolo plane until they have adjusted her ticket.

I'm sure she will be fine, as they pad those times to allow for delays. In other words, the ticket may say that she
arrives in Dulles at 6:37am but an on-time departure probably usually arrives there at 6:17.

There is one piece of information that I would give her if you don't think it will be too confusing. If her plane sits in Sao Paolo for a long time and arrives very late into Dulles, and she realizes that she will MISS her 8:10 flight to Boston, she should not hand over her baggage immediately after customs. She should carry her bags upstairs so that she can get them re-tagged onto her new flight with her, and prevent any delays/confusion with her bags. In other words, she does not want her bags to leave her side if they are still tagged for the 8:10am flight that she is going to miss.
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Old Jul 9th, 2012, 05:04 PM
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Thank you tracy2cents and all of you for spending so much of yourpersonal time to help me! Really good tips that I will make sure she follows.
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