mangoMan

I noticed quite a bit of posts and news from last summer that immigration waits at DFW could be horrendous, but couldn't find any more recent info. Have things improved? I'll be arriving in July on a Wed. ~4pm (BA193). Don't have GE but am considering trying to get it before our trip this summer. SFO (my home airport) interview appointments are scarce so it may not be possible to get if for myself and kids before we depart, so I am trying to decide whether to gamble and go for it.

longhorn11

It's hit and miss honestly. I've been on B193 a few times but when it had an approx. 2pm arrival time. In the afternoon you will have all the Europe flights and maybe Qantas coming in between 2 and 5, so it just depends on when you touch down.

Just a tip for Global Entry, keep trying for appointments daily. That's how I scored mine at DFW fairly quickly. People cancel all the time and spots open up, but only for a short amount of time.

hvprasad

Hi
I travelled LHR-DFW on 1 April by AA 79 which arrived at 7.40 PM. From arrival at immigration hall to baggage collection to car park, i was out in flat 14 mins. No crowd in DFW immigration hall at that time. Felt really great compared to my previous arrivals by EK & LH which brought me to crowded halls.

mangoMan

Is there a way to see how many international flights are arriving at DFW in a given timeframe (4pm in my case)?

EmailKid

flightaware.com/live/airport/KDFW

Just play with times. Don't know if it's searchable otherwise.

SeamusSA

It is always a crap shoot, and IME the GE is worth its weight in gold. Even with clever planning events can accrue to create a mess at arrivals (e.g., regional weather delays.) BTW as mentioned up-thread do check back frequently as cancellations get recycled back into the schedule and you may snag one. It is also possible, if you are going to be in the airport anyway, to try for a walk in if there is a no show. That is not encouraged, but it worked for me.

mangoMan

Found this site giving wait times for various airports: http://awt.cbp.gov/

Tried a few recent mid-week dates and wait times don't look too bad at DFW, assuming the data on this site is good. It also lists how many flights arrive during various times of the day. Unfortunately for me, 4 pm looks to be among when the biggest number of flights arrive, assuming schedules don't change too much from now until July.

aamilesslave

It will take a little time, but DFW is adding 40 CBP agents.
http://www.star-telegram.com/2014/04...re-agents.html

andysiz

Anyone have advice on whether to fly into DFW or MIA in January 2015 with respect to immigration and customs wait times? In both scenarios, I'd be flying AA and I'd have two hours to get to my connecting AA domestic flight.

longhorn11

Several factors influence this IMO, where are you coming from and continuing on to, and your arrival time. The nice thing about DFW would be you could re clear security in D and then hop on SkyLink to your connection (assuming it's domestic).

Also, just city wise, you will always run the risk of a winter weather event (ice mainly) in Dallas during Jan and Feb. Not a huge risk, but something to keep in mind.

andysiz

Thanks @longhorn11!

Good point re: weather -- that might tip the balance for me. The additional benefit of routing through MIA for me is that the first leg into Miami departs about an hour earlier than the flight into DFW; if anything were to happen to the -MIA flights, AA could put me on the -DFW flights (space permitting, obviously).

For reference, my onward domestic flight is to LAX, and I plan to fly on a Monday in late January. The flight into MIA is scheduled to land ~6pm, and the flight into DFW is scheduled to land ~7:30pm local time.

ummgood

I haven't been through MIA but I have been through ATL, DFW, LHR, JFK, IAD, AUS all to get back home in Austin from either GVA or LHR and by far DFW is my favorite international airport for immigration and customs. The baggage claim/recheck is the best and the lines have never been that bad for me without GE. I typically only fly once or twice a year and prefer DFW but now that we have a direct LHR->AUS flight my company tends to prefer that flight booking over the others so I haven't been through there in a year.

My least favorite by a mile was JFK. Austin is a close second just because they cannot handle the wide body in customs. Plus you'll find that DFW seems to have more weather delays due to thunderstorms than ice. Ice is a once a year or every other year occurrence. I have had more friends miss connecting flights due to thunderstorms than any other weather event and unfortunately it is impossible to know when one will hit but fortunately that is not a problem so much in the winter. I purposely try to stay south in the winter so maybe MIA will be good for that.

longhorn11

Sure thing, sounds like MIA is going to be a good option for you.

@ummgood - it may only be an issue on the ground once or twice a year, but there are quite a few occurrences where it impacts air travel much more than you would think. De-icing, freezing rain, sleet, or even the threat of ice often lead to delays at DFW during Jan and Feb. I've had several flights get canceled or delayed due to just the weatherman claiming it could ice overnight. AA gets the jets out of DFW and on their way somewhere warmer, and starts to consolidate what they have left. Not fun. Sometimes you will actually see quite a few MD-80s parked at ABIA overnight when the weather may get dicey in Dallas.

ummgood

Thanks I didn't think about that. I wonder what percentage of days each year are affected by ice?

mclachlan4321

Im flying through DFW tomorrow and simply curious about the time it can take for Immigration here.

I mostly use ORD which is often appalling in terms of queues and length of time; Ive missed connections here before.

thank you.