JFK t7 arrivals - what can be done?
Sep 2, 2015, 2:27 pm
#16
Join Date: Aug 2014
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I can sympathise with this (or should it be sympathize?) Went over on BA3 last year and it landed at the same time as an IB. Mrs. stifle and I did some shameless weaving through the slow-moving Spaniards and managed to clear ourselves in within half an hour of doors open.
Sep 2, 2015, 2:36 pm
#17
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I do this route a fair bit. I try to avoid anything after the 177, as it just turns into mayhem with more Mandarin and Spanish spoken around you. On balance I find the 173 the ideal choice between not too early to wake up/London traffic and getting through CBP in good time. It helps, of course, to be off the aircraft quickly and to walk with determination.
Sep 2, 2015, 2:44 pm
#19
Join Date: Sep 2013
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Fortunately however a very proactive lady went along the queue asking if there were any second-time ESTA visitors, of which I was one, and we were invited to use the automated kiosks normally used by US citizens. That probably saved at least 15-20 minutes for me and effectively was a kind of fast-track.
Sep 2, 2015, 3:28 pm
#24
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Chelsea
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More an observation than anything, but after several awful immigration queues at JFK T7, I try always to go via BA1 or, failing that, EWR, and even though this latter is also PANYNJ I have never had a wait longer than 25 minutes.
(hoping AA will do SDFC for me!)
Sep 3, 2015, 1:26 am
#27
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(2) When will they be getting them at T7?
Incidentally, the best thing to have IME whilst waiting in the CBP queue is a 3 phone. 3 waives roaming fees for 18 countries including the USA.
Sep 3, 2015, 1:39 am
#28
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Which of course should be switched off until you reach the land side of Customs to avoid the risk of being shot, arrested or barked at!
Sep 3, 2015, 1:56 am
#29
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Quite likely in that order as well! Doing anything outside the rules in US immigration areas is a risk I'd personally not want to take ... at the very least if you're spotted you're looking at a longer interrogation at the desk, and possibly worse.
Sep 3, 2015, 2:16 am
#30
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There are no current plans to put the machines in T7 due to the awkward layout of the hall and the entrance area, plus the lease complexities (now resolved). Bit chicken and egg in my view, since if they had the machines they wouldn't need to queue down the corridor, but that's what I've been told. However there were a long list of airports that were not going to get APC, and now do, so while it may be at the back of the list, I would speculate that there will be machines there in 2 years or so.
As to what can be done about T7, it's a case of the earlier the better, the first few flights seem to be fine, it's the late ones that are bad, unless BA183 is running about 30 minutes late and there's no adverse weather (etc) at the New York end, but that time it tends to be quite quiet.