nalismom

Looking to book LHR-IAD-DFW......connection time is 3 hours without delays.

Is this sufficient time to clear immigration/customs and make domestic connection?

I searched but I could not find relevant recent information.

denhaagflyer

If there are no delays, it should be ok, even in the afternoon, when there are many flights arriving at the same time. If you arrive on the late flight (8 pm-ish), no problem at all, should be through in less than 30 minutes). Longest I had when arriving in the afternoon was 90 minutes in immigration. That gives you still 60 minutes for security.

nalismom

Thanks...this would be BA 217 arriving at 1240.

Have no experience at IAD so unfamiliar with connection process for BA-AA.

Anyone have experience?

Looking at FC

denhaagflyer

I only know the transfer process to UA and there pax are separated into arriving and connecting pax and are processed separately. Might or might not be the same for AA.

12:40 might be ok, certainly better than between 3 and 4.

One important tip: most likely you will be transported on a mobile lounge (moon buggy) from Terminal B to immigration facility. Try to stay at the very front of the vehicle, so that you are first off when arriving at immigration facility!

T8191

In recent years the 217 has been rescheduled and now usually avoids arriving at the same time as other l/h flights. In recent experiences, getting off fairly quickly from CW, we are through Immigration in well under an hour from parking (sometimes considerably less). If you are in WT, it will take longer, obviously, but I'm confident your MCT will be no problem.

NB12

Long time lurker, first time poster..

This article may be of interest to you (and others here) - http://www.wtop.com/1390/3739858/Kio...toms-at-Dulles

To echo others, 3 hours at IAD should be plenty, even without these new kiosks. As denhaagflyer says - stay near the door of the people mover to get towards the front of the immigration line. I made a 2 hour connection from UA international to UA domestic via the main terminal with checked luggage earlier this summer - queues at immigration, check-in and security meant it was a little tight for comfort, but you will have an extra hour.

T8191

Hi, and welcome to the BA corner of FT ... and thanks for the new info. All information is valuable, especially "New Stuff".

Sorry to kick off by being negative, but ... As I read it, instead of filling out the form at my leisure inbound to IAD on the aircraft, showing it to the CBP Agent at Immigration, and then giving it to a completely disinterested grunting CBP officer at Customs ... I can now instead perform a technical dick-dance to undergo the same Customs procedure?
"The kiosk will dispense a receipt, which the passenger will take to a face-to-face meeting with a customs officer."

So there's an EXTRA step in the process of complete disinterest by Customs? Which uses my time arriving at IAD? WOW, this is progress! I can hardly remember even being accorded eye-contact at Customs ... just a wave and a grunt.

Or have I missed something? It seems a very expensive 'stupid' to me

Tobias-UK

The time saving is with the Immigration Officer - all the biometrics and routine questions are taken by the kiosk and then you present your receipt to the CBP Immigration Officer - hopefully the time spent there will be reduced.

You will still have to pass the CBP Customs Officer as you do now.

golfmad

This is good advice although for clarity you should be aware that the front is the point at which you get into the star wars looking contraption.

T8191

Immigration is what it is ... And they look at the Customs form, and that's it. Maybe 5 seconds or less .. and I'm sure that's a fairly recent innovation. The fingerprints and interrogation take the time, of course.

Old System Complete Customs Form on aircraft. Go though Immigration. Collect bags, walk to Customs, stand in line again. Vague wave, give form, grunt, wave. Done.

New System. This seems to 'require' saving 5 seconds at Immigration instead of ... talking to the Customs machine, tapping the screen, getting a receipt ... And then STILL standing in line for the "wave, grunt, wave" process. Where is the benefit in that? I am completely bemused.

golfmad

I use Global Entry so I can't be absolutely sure of this but I thought the benefit will be far shorter wait times (reduced queue lengths) to see the immigration officer.

T8191

No, this is Customs initiative.

Whether GE or standing in line, this is what is envisaged AFTER you collect your bags. Nothing to do with efficiencising Immigration, just making Customs more ponderous instead!

Tobias-UK

Yes, especially so given that only those with US and Canadian passports and Visa Waiver pax can use the kiosks. Hopefully it will be a simple 'grunt thru' by the CBP IO rather than an interrogation.

IAD can be a pain, especially if you get in behind a Middle Eastern flight or Korean/Hong Kong.

Tobias-UK

Not quite Mr T, it is also to speed up Immigration clearance.

T8191

As I said ... By the 5 seconds it takes for the Immigration Agent to look at the form. So insignificant its invisible in the overall picture. The Agent doesn't actually DO anything with the form, apart from look and squiggle on it. That's it ... Period.

In return, the pax can now spend an unknown time getting a recipt from a machine, after passport scan and button pushing, to be able to get a receipt carrying the same info that was previously on the handwritten form to give to the same bored person at the end of the next queue, who will perform the familiar 'wave, grunt, wave' process. All the time is passenger time ... It adds work to the pax, and saves ZERO time at the Customs desk ... and a couple of seconds at Immigration.

Now, if they actually deployed more agents at Immigration and Customs points ... but that would be Fantasy Land. Why did they bother to build 54 desks when they only ever seem to man 12 of them?