ORD on Easter Sunday 2011 ?
Dec 28, 2010, 4:28 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 28
ORD on Easter Sunday 2011 ?
Hi,
We've just booked up to fly LHR-ORD on BA, arriving April 24th (Easter Sunday).
Appreciate that the answer to this question is probably unknowable, but any idea how long it might take us to clear customs & immigration ?
We're assuming about 90 mins, but it would be helpful to know if our estimate's likely to be significantly out.
Thanks in advance,
Nick&Lucy
We've just booked up to fly LHR-ORD on BA, arriving April 24th (Easter Sunday).
Appreciate that the answer to this question is probably unknowable, but any idea how long it might take us to clear customs & immigration ?
We're assuming about 90 mins, but it would be helpful to know if our estimate's likely to be significantly out.
Thanks in advance,
Nick&Lucy
Dec 28, 2010, 12:01 pm
#2
Moderator: Delta SkyMiles, Luxury Hotels, TravelBuzz! and Italy
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 26,543
Welcome to Flyertalk, Nick and Lucy.
I am moving this to the FT Chicago Forum.
The nice people who frequent that forum will surely be in a position to answer your question.
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator
I am moving this to the FT Chicago Forum.
The nice people who frequent that forum will surely be in a position to answer your question.
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator
Dec 29, 2010, 11:35 am
#3
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Chicago
Programs: American, United, Mexicana, Continental
Posts: 142
The wait time depends, mostly, on how many other flights have arrived at about the same time and the volume of passengers passing through Immigration and Customs then, how quickly your airline off-loads the luggage, how long of a walk you have from the arrival gate to Immigration, where you sit on the plane, etc. I don't remember the process ever taking 90-minutes, start to finish. I'm thinking 45-minutes is reasonable to expect.
Dec 30, 2010, 9:00 am
#4
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: ORD
Programs: UA MM, AA PPro
Posts: 1,480
The wait time depends, mostly, on how many other flights have arrived at about the same time and the volume of passengers passing through Immigration and Customs then, how quickly your airline off-loads the luggage, how long of a walk you have from the arrival gate to Immigration, where you sit on the plane, etc. I don't remember the process ever taking 90-minutes, start to finish. I'm thinking 45-minutes is reasonable to expect.
Dec 30, 2010, 9:18 am
#5
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: ORD
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 16,901
Are you asking out of curiosity, or are you trying to figure out the time you need to allow between flights?
If the former, 90 minutes to get through customs/immigration is a good estimate. If someone is meeting you and you have a mobile phone, you will have a window of opportunity to call from when the plane hits the runway until you deplane at arrivals. You CANNOT use your phone while in the customs/immigration area.
If you're trying to decide on connecting flights, it looks like the minimum time for AA for Intl/Dom is 1:10 and on UA it is 1:15, but I would never let anyone book me a connection that tight. I'd allow at least 2 hours between flights.
If the former, 90 minutes to get through customs/immigration is a good estimate. If someone is meeting you and you have a mobile phone, you will have a window of opportunity to call from when the plane hits the runway until you deplane at arrivals. You CANNOT use your phone while in the customs/immigration area.
If you're trying to decide on connecting flights, it looks like the minimum time for AA for Intl/Dom is 1:10 and on UA it is 1:15, but I would never let anyone book me a connection that tight. I'd allow at least 2 hours between flights.
Dec 30, 2010, 2:29 pm
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 28
Thanks.
Thanks for your replies - we were really just trying to work out how tired we will be and whether we should stay in Rosemont that night or head for downtown Chicago.
On the basis of 90 mins, I think we will probably sack out at a local hotel and jump on the El in the morning
On the basis of 90 mins, I think we will probably sack out at a local hotel and jump on the El in the morning