Not sure if this is the correct forum, but I have a question about the return trip back to the U.S. Has anyone who travelled recently experienced delays at the U.S. airport customs area when they arrived? I have only an hour between connecting flights and was wondering if that was going to be enough time considering the new security measures.
Thank you,
Booklady

Hi Booklady,

I arrived Sept 23. At Miami International, it used to be just under an hour, from the time you got off the plane, checked passport at the us citizen line, got baggage and passed through customs (if necessary). This time it was about an hour and a half. This was fresh after 9/11. I imagine security is even tighter now.

I don't know if you're going through MIA and if so what gate your flight will use, but they just built a terminal that is unbelievably far away from passport check. It took half an hour just to walk there from the plane, through all these winding corridors, escalators and so on. It was very twilight zonesque getting off that mid morning AA flight that puts you in Miami "three hours later." :o

Hi churrocaliente,
Thanks for the information. I arrive in Philadelpia at 7:05p.m. and my connecting flight to Orlando leaves at 8:06. so I guess it might be prudent to contact my airlines and see if I can book a later flight.
Gracias,
Booklady

[ 11-22-2001: Message edited by: Booklady ]

Booklady:

We landed in Philadelphia on Nov16th, US Airways, the flight landed early but it took 2hours and 45 minutes to go through immigration, pick up baggs , go through custom, recheck the baggs with US AIR,get into the gate area fro connecting flight.US AIR in Philadelpia has only 2 security screens for gate A and 2 screens for gate B-E, so the lines were long and slow. I knew some of the passengers from our Madrid flight had missed their connecting flight because they only had 2hours or less for layover. Good Luck!

[ 11-22-2001: Message edited by: Travelgirl ]

From the Travelocity.com web page:

Security Checkpoint Wait Times:


New York-LaGuardia 80 Min
Los Angeles 47 Min
New York-Kennedy 39 Min
Newark 35 Min
Baltimore/Washington 22 Min
Philadelphia 16 Min
Miami 16 Min
Detroit 15 Min
San Francisco 15 Min
Boston 15 Min
Houston-Intercontinental 15 Min
Atlanta 14 Min
Seattle-Tacoma 12 Min
Minneapolis 11 Min
Dallas/Fort Worth 11 Min
Orlando 7 Min
Washington-National 7 Min
Denver 6 Min
Chicago 5 Min
Washington-Dulles 4 Min

---------------------------
Ben
pbchamp@intercom.net

[ 11-22-2001: Message edited by: MadridMan ]

Booklady, keep in mind (correct me if I'm wrong, all) that when you enter into a US airport and have you pass through customs, YOU FIRST have to get your checked luggage and take that through customs. I don't know how long the lines are these days going through customs and then going to gate, but I'd guess 1 hour isn't nearly enough to make this flight. Seems to me that everytime I re-enter the US, I get my checked luggage, go through customs, THEN go back to the airline's main gate (or the one on the other side of customs) and RE-check luggage and THEN go back through security.

The above wait-times from Travelocity.com MUST be PRE-S11 times. Last weekend (Sunday 3pm) I was in Chicago Midway (MUCH smaller than O'Hare) and we waited AT LEAST 30-40 minutes in the security line.

[ 11-22-2001: Message edited by: MadridMan ]

Booklady wrote:
<< I arrive in Philadelpia at 7:05p.m. and my connecting flight to Orlando leaves at 8:06. so I guess it might be prudent to contact my airlines and see if I can book a later flight. >>

I think that would be the prudent thing to do. I live in Philadelphia so I don't have to catch a connecting flight when I arrive on US Airways or Lufthansa. Immigration and Customs are not a problem (if you are a US Citizen returning); going thru security for your connecting flight is where you're going to encounter delays. Add a 'Terminal Change' because all international arrivals are at new Terminal 'A,' US Airways (domestic) is at Terminal 'B,' American, Continental and Northwest are further removed. 61-minutes just isn't going to be enough time (IMHO).
P.S.
An article in this AM's (11/23) Philadelphia Inquirer indicates there may be some delay at Immigration/Customs also. They make it look bad in an accompanying foto, but I have always found that returning U.S. Citizens can usually 'skate' thru immigration (my last re-entry was Oct 4th. 2001).

[ 11-23-2001: Message edited by: Eddie ]

[ 11-23-2001: Message edited by: MadridMan ]

Thank you all,I appreciate your advice.
I will go ahead and re-schedule my flight back to Florida. I originally booked my flight in August and back then it was possible to make it in an hour and as Madrid Man says with luggage having to be checked out and in again this may take a couple of hours.
Eddie, thanks for the article!
Booklady

Can't take credit for something I didn't do:
Thank you, MadridMan, for creating the link to that Inquirer article. That was a nice touch ... (oh wise and mighty MadridMan).