Originally Posted by
rittenhousesq
I think there may have been some confusion between immigration and customs....of course you will go through immigration first, then collect your checked bags, go through customs and then re-check your bags, and then you can either go back through security to the A terminal (although theoretically you could at this point go outside and reenter at the terminal of your choosing - but its a long hike outside to the F terminal) and catch the shuttle to the F terminal.
Note: after clearing security in the A terminal, if you find you have lots of spare time before your next flight and want to get a bite to eat, I would recommend doing so before going to the F terminal where the dining options are more limited. There are good dining options in the A terminal (particularly A-west) or in the connector between B and C.
Edit: in looking again at your post above: when you re-check your bags after clearing customs, that simply involves handing your bags back to a uniformed baggage handler. You don't actually have to stand in line and check in again for your flight. If you already have your boarding pass for your flight to LGA then you can proceed to your next gate.
Thanks rittenhousesq, it is much clearer now for me.
One more thing...when I booked my ticket I went through US airways web site and choose windowed seat 24G (one of the last rows of the 767) for my ATH-PHL leg of the trip. However, now that I go through the details of my flight I realize that my timeframe would be very limited, from the point I land to PHL to the point I'll get on the next plane to LGA. A seat towards to the front of the plane would be much more preferable in order to gain a few more minutes after landing...of course now, only one week before my flight, the only front seats that I could find in the US web site is some middle seats and also aisle "choice seats" (have to pay a $30 extra for that one. pros: more legroom since it is behind an exit row, cons: no window…).
If I had to choose I would give higher priority to gain a few more minutes after landing in order to make it to my connecting flight to LGA instead of my comfort (by choosing the middle seat) or the window option (by choosing isle).
Questions:
Would it make any
significant difference if I decide to move forward to the front rows of the plane? How much time would this gain me in customs/immigration/luggage? What would you do in my position...take the middle seat and pay no extra cash, take the aisle seat and pay an additional $30 (and have the extra legroom) or stay in the windowed seat originally booked?