Why is MCT for LH418 in IAD so high?
Jul 30, 2012, 9:56 pm
#1
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Why is MCT for LH418 in IAD so high?
I was looking at FRA-IAD on LH418 (748i) and then a connector to LAX, so I was trying to figure out the MCT and was astonished when I saw this:
[KVS Availability Tool 7.0.3/Diamond - Reference: Minimum Connection Time [MCT]: IAD/LH-UA]
I guess it is really only 15 minutes higher than the standard ID MCT, but still, why does it need an extra 15 minutes?
[KVS Availability Tool 7.0.3/Diamond - Reference: Minimum Connection Time [MCT]: IAD/LH-UA]
Code:
DD DI ID II STANDARD: IAD 045 045 090 090 EXCEPTIONS: A/L FLT-NBR DEPARR LH 0418 --- --- 105 105 UA 0001-9999 -ALL- **END OF DISPLAY**
Jul 30, 2012, 10:13 pm
#2
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I guess because IAD is such a pain in the a** for immigration. When I took LH418 it literally took me 90 minutes from getting out of the plane until I got back into concourse A for my UAX connection.
There are multiple factors on why it is so painful:
- it takes forever for the mobile lounges to first get moving and then make it to the immigration facility
- lines at the immigration facilities are some of the longest I've ever seen
- then you need to walk forever to a hidden train station under the middle of the tarmac to take the train back to your connection. This last item won't apply if you have a flight out of concourse C/D, but it's the least of the pain anyway.
There are multiple factors on why it is so painful:
- it takes forever for the mobile lounges to first get moving and then make it to the immigration facility
- lines at the immigration facilities are some of the longest I've ever seen
- then you need to walk forever to a hidden train station under the middle of the tarmac to take the train back to your connection. This last item won't apply if you have a flight out of concourse C/D, but it's the least of the pain anyway.
Jul 31, 2012, 2:32 am
#3
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I would even raise the MCT to 120 min, the FIS for the transit pax around noon in IAD is a desaster. Within 1 to 4pm they have 1300-2000 pax/hour arriving for processing 
http://cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/wait_times/
http://cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/wait_times/
Jul 31, 2012, 3:00 am
#4
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Jul 31, 2012, 3:05 am
#5
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OT: why on earth don't they use the data they get before the longhaul even takes off towards IAD to atleast make their staff plan to open all counters? The DHS has intricate details of each passenger coming in x hours.
Jul 31, 2012, 3:32 am
#6
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Jul 31, 2012, 4:37 am
#7
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but the same goes for LAX too...I never got how they determine how many officers they need working the counters...throwing dices??
Jul 31, 2012, 5:16 am
#8
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It's always great to walk down those stairs into the main immigration hall (if IAD is your final destination) and to see that only 5 counters are staffed
but the same goes for LAX too...I never got how they determine how many officers they need working the counters...throwing dices??
but the same goes for LAX too...I never got how they determine how many officers they need working the counters...throwing dices??
there is a constant, let's call it R and that's the benchmark...
R=Number of arriving passengers * Number of Officers
there's no other way I could possibly explain the LAX-effect
Jul 31, 2012, 5:19 am
#9
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Last month I spent 75 min in line at JFK. I knew it in advance based on the stats from the above link and made sure I had things to do during the wait. We had a LH & KE A380 ahead of us and a AF 777 behind us plus the SU and OS flights. I sometimes wonder why they bother to publish the data. 
Jul 31, 2012, 6:39 am
#11
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Do you really have to rub the salt in there ?
I really wish I'd have the chance to go that route - and I do have only 3-4 flights a year to the US.
But no matter what I'd really avoid IAD at all cost for immigration purposes. Not even in a true fourth world country with a military regime you'll find this self embarrassing ignorance and non-organisation that IAD shows..
I really wish I'd have the chance to go that route - and I do have only 3-4 flights a year to the US.
But no matter what I'd really avoid IAD at all cost for immigration purposes. Not even in a true fourth world country with a military regime you'll find this self embarrassing ignorance and non-organisation that IAD shows..
Jul 31, 2012, 11:36 am
#13
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Time of Day Min Av Max #pax Booths 5 to 6 PM 0 21 147 727 35
Jul 31, 2012, 11:44 am
#14
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There's no motivation to fix this. UA is the dominant carrier at IAD and it has its own mid-field terminal and processing. If you arrive from overseas on UA, you will process directly back into the C terminal and be only a short distance to the A or D terminals as well.
There's no incentive to make it more convenient for non-UA intl. to domestic UA.
Add to the arrivals time, the possibility that you are entering the checkpoint during a busy period and you need to allow an extra 45 mins. for that.
There's no incentive to make it more convenient for non-UA intl. to domestic UA.
Add to the arrivals time, the possibility that you are entering the checkpoint during a busy period and you need to allow an extra 45 mins. for that.
Jul 31, 2012, 2:25 pm
#15
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@Often1: LH revenue shares the traffic with UA, and most people connect to UA at IAD, so the botheration to UA by holding back LH pax is quite significant as it garbles their hub traffic badly.
The pax terminating in IAD have a nice facility, literally walked thru immigration last year when our trip ended in IAD (oh, and I had my two sons with US passports with me, that may have facilitated things
)