FRA or EWR?
Oct 22, 2020, 5:22 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Tucson AZ
Posts: 108
FRA or EWR?
My apologies if I am posting this in the wrong forum. Feel free to move it!
I have a choice of 2 different return flights from Italy.
Which is better, re: getting thru immigration, customs etc
VCE to FRA to PHX FRA/PHX - OS
VCE to EWR to PHX EWR/PHX UA
Thank you
I have a choice of 2 different return flights from Italy.
Which is better, re: getting thru immigration, customs etc
VCE to FRA to PHX FRA/PHX - OS
VCE to EWR to PHX EWR/PHX UA
Thank you
Oct 22, 2020, 11:26 pm
#2
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Heraklion, Greece
Posts: 7,565
I've often used both PHX and EWR for entry in the USA in the not so distant past, with an ESTA from a EU member state: In both airports I've experienced extremely short waits (<10 minutes) and very long ones (>2 hours) at immigration and hardly any at customs. Very difficult to predict what it will be, it fully depends on how many international planes arrive at about the same time, as well as unpredictable delays such as their net access being down (only once at EWR).
Last edited by KLouis; Oct 23, 2020 at 7:49 pm
Oct 23, 2020, 5:36 am
#3
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Brighton. UK
Programs: BA Gold / VS /IHG Diamond & Ambassador
Posts: 14,195
This needs to be on one of the US boards not Europe. I've allerted a mod to move it and also correct the thread title as FRA is irrelevent as you can't clear US immigration there.
Oct 23, 2020, 11:03 am
#4
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Programs: TK Elite Plus,BAEC GGL,ITA Executive, AFKL Gold,QR Gold,HH Diamond,Bonvoy Gold,ALL Gold
Posts: 14,186
I can't speak about PHX but EWR could be a hit or miss.
I had occasions where I needed to wait a lot of time for immigration, on some occasions, I was out landside within 5-10 minutes after I left the aircraft.
By the way, UA might not resume their VCE-EWR service nor LH might resume their FRA-PHX service next summer.