IAD CBP Zoo Makes Other Hubs More Attractive
 

No wonder UA had the lowest fare bar none for MEX-BTV...because they had to try to encourage some saps to go via their zoo of a hub at IAD. Inbound today (7/10) ex MEX was early...so would have been 1.5hrs+ to connection....and took pax over 2hrs just to get thru Customs/Immigration...and were reprotected on a flight 5hrs later, arriving past Midnight. To top off the insult is the gouging Dulles does on phone calls, blocking access to Bell Canada's 800 number at airport pay-phones so that pax couldn't call home at a reasonable rate (operator quoted $3/minute to Canada...vs $0 on a Bell card)....upon hearing this usurious charge, even UA personnel were embarrassed, and let the client use a UA phone to call home...
I think that the CBP is getting things to be ... Heading down by car via Champlain and Rouses Point,NY on Sunday experienced 90+minute delays at land crossings...and that was just to get the Nexus lane...

Border wait times are often large at certain times of the day - this is true for many other US airports. Booking a short connecton after an international flight is always risky.

If you travel internationally frequently, apply for NEXUS - expedited security in canada, no border waits entering us or canada (by air or land). As a NEXUS holder, you can use global entry kiosks when entering US.

Airport Wait Times: http://apps.cbp.gov/awt/

Of course it doesn't take into account the variance between U.S. Citizens and others.

I agree that IAD has the worst CBP lines that I've experienced in my numerous times re-entering the US through UA's hubs. Can't speak for hubs of other airlines, but in the PMUA system, IAD is the worst in this regard, especially for connecting passengers.

I'm flying PEK-IAD nonstop in a week, how's IAD CBP at 8pm for IAD destination passengers at that hour? I know I could go via other hubs but hey, nonstop in Global First Class, can't beat that...

8pm is about the time that the late LHR and FRA flights arrive.

LHR - 1925
FRA - 1942
PEK - 1953

Hope you're early is all I can say!

What's more, once you finally get through passport control and immigration you get to deal with the TSA. In my repeated experience, the wait times for post-CBP security are well outside what could be reasonably called acceptable.

This was a legal connection as booked...the alternative to the 1hr 40min connect was the 6+ wait that was eventually foisted upon them. Nothing in-between. To add insult to injury, a CSR passed out cards saying that pax could call in and make their re-accommodations...rather than stand in line...and, at first, the agent on the line wanted $70/person for the privilege of rebooking...after the volcano erupted, and she checked with a supervisor, she made the change...the nerve!

When did UA merge with CBP? Was that 3/3 too? Or am I missing something here?

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The problem must be the midfield terminal. I find that the main terminal is generally efficient enough that you are through immigration before your bags show up. Granted, I go through the US citizen/resident line.

The point is that IAD CBP affects UA pax more than it affects any other airline, so IAD CBP is quite relevant to United...

I agree that IAD passport control can be a nightmare. Sometimes it's fine, but at other times it's far worse than I've experienced anywhere else in the US. Coming back from AMS on UA a few years ago, it took me somewhere in the 30-45 minute range to clear passport control there, as a US citizen. Inexcusable. That's like GIG or MEX territory.

i think you're beating the dog. dulles has nothing to do with the pay phone prices. they are privately owned. probably has nothing to do with long distance rate. that is a connection thru las vegas and run by the mafia(for real)

Compared to LAX or EWR, IAD CBP is a joy.