Using connecting flights - pros/cons?

judygarland

Just wondering. We have an hour in between flights. I flew to Newark in April and it took me over an hour to get through immigration! Do you bypass queues if you have a connecting flight? Also, is your baggage automatically transferred to the next flight or do you still have to collect it?

Paddy2eyes

An hour between flights would be cutting it very fine. You need to go through US immigration at your point of entry into the US. You will also need to pick up your luggage, take it through customs and then drop it off again at a connecting flights desk, usually just the other side of customs.

M4RKM

Philadelphia airport is huge, so it depends if you have a big terminal change (Biggest being from A to F).. i've done it before in about 45 minutes, the trick is the walk very fast when getting off the plane, to be at the front of the immigration queue...

M

judygarland

Its all new to me. Most airlines close the check in desks 40 mins before so it's all very confusing. Oh well.

dzug1

judygarland wrote: »

Its all new to me. Most airlines close the check in desks 40 mins before so it's all very confusing. Oh well.

If (and only if) you have a through booking you don't have to check in again. You have to go through immigration, collect your baggage, go through customs and recheck your baggage - this is a matter of slinging it on a conveyor belt, you don't have to queue up to do it. You don't have to check yourself in again - you will already have a boarding card for the connecting flight.

mrtg0525

judygarland wrote: »

Just wondering. We have an hour in between flights. I flew to Newark in April and it took me over an hour to get through immigration! Do you bypass queues if you have a connecting flight? Also, is your baggage automatically transferred to the next flight or do you still have to collect it?

One hour is definitely too short unless you're the first person off the plane. Usually going through US immigrations takes that long or longer, with all the fingerprinting and photos etc. And no, just because you have a connecting flight doesn't get you any special treatment with US Immigrations. You'll have to stand in the same line as everybody else I'm afraid.

As you'll also have to go through customs (as with immigrations, you're doing this at the first airport you get to in the US), you'll have to pick up your bags, go through customs and drop them off at the appropriate counter before you can get on your connecting flight.

As a rule, I leave at least 1:45 between connecting flights in the US - especially inbound.

b3nton

I'd allow a good hour personally.

judygarland

dzug1 wrote: »

If (and only if) you have a through booking you don't have to check in again. You have to go through immigration, collect your baggage, go through customs and recheck your baggage - this is a matter of slinging it on a conveyor belt, you don't have to queue up to do it. You don't have to check yourself in again - you will already have a boarding card for the connecting flight.

Hi there. Thanks for the reply. Yes, I believe I have a through ticket (booked it through Opodo). I have 1 hr 30 mins between flights on the way back, so that will be a help. My only hope is that there will be two channels for immigration, one for UK and one for US citizens and that my flights are full of Americans!

dzug1

judygarland wrote: »

Hi there. Thanks for the reply. Yes, I believe I have a through ticket (booked it through Opodo). I have 1 hr 30 mins between flights on the way back, so that will be a help. My only hope is that there will be two channels for immigration, one for UK and one for US citizens and that my flights are full of Americans!

If you are travelling on a US airline to a 'lesser' US airport (and I'd class Philadelphia in that category in international flight terms) then most of the passengers will be American.

They usually have two channels for immigration - one for US citizens and one for everyone else, though they seem to give priority to manning the US on. Once the US passengers are through they throw it open to everyone. Assuming there's not another flight due....

But don't worry too much - the airline wouldn't have let you book a through ticket if they didn't think you would make it - and it's their responsibility if you don't. Inconvenient for you, but not a disaster.

Coming back is less of a worry - no immigration/customs so your bags are checked right through - no need to pick them up.

M4RKM

mrtg0525 wrote: »

One hour is definitely too short unless you're the first person off the plane. Usually going through US immigrations takes that long or longer, with all the fingerprinting and photos etc. And no, just because you have a connecting flight doesn't get you any special treatment with US Immigrations. You'll have to stand in the same line as everybody else I'm afraid.

As you'll also have to go through customs (as with immigrations, you're doing this at the first airport you get to in the US), you'll have to pick up your bags, go through customs and drop them off at the appropriate counter before you can get on your connecting flight.

As a rule, I leave at least 1:45 between connecting flights in the US - especially inbound.

IMO, i just want to say, wrong wrong wrong wrong wrong..

i've done 5 flights to the USA via PHL, and within 90 minutes, i've been sitting in a bar across the other side of the airport, and i've never been the first person off the plane. Out of 13 TATL journeys, the shortest it has taken me to get through immigration, get my case, and through customs, to the outside world is 22 minutes. It isn't as bad as at least 1hr45mins!

The longest wait i've had to get through immigration is an hour, and that was at JFK, when there were only 3 desks open. PHL Terminal A, has a huge immigration hall, and normally at least 6 - 10 desks for non US citizens are open. The annoying part of PHL, is not the immigration hall, that bit is easy.

Once you have gone through immigration, picked up your bags, you will hand in the customs form. You turn right, short walk down to the bag recheck.
If you get to this, and you are cutting it fine of time, go to the desks to the right of the conveyor, and speak to an agent. they will double check, and may rebook you if you need...

Anyway... then you walk down a ramp, and join another queue to go through security, so make sure you have no liquids at all. This is because you can actually leave the airport, and what not, so once you leave the customs hall, you're not in a secure area.

If you make your voice heard, and are short of time, but know you're easily going to get to the plane, then you may get help getting towards the front of the queue here.. if you've already been rebooked, just relax and join the queue..

Once through, you're in Terminal A, and you can actually walk all the way to terminal D, but this is a long long walk. Turn left, and down the escalator, and there is a courtesy bus to terminals C,D,E and another to F.


just one more thing.. you said

Yes, I believe I have a through ticket

how do you NOT know. Did you buy 1 ticket, in 1 transaction, or did you buy 1 ticket to PHL and then another ticket to somewhere else???

if you bought 1 ticket, and it is all with US Airways, then you have 1 ticket, and you just change planes. It really isn't as complex as you're making it...