SwissM

We will be traveling internationally with USAir with an infant and a 5 year old from Zurich via PHL to BGM and have 3 hours between flights.

1.) Can anyone with experience with the customs procedures in PHL tell me if we should really hurry to get our bags and move through the customs procedures or can we normally expect to "walk" our way there if we arrive on time. I remember horrendous lines at JFK a few years ago and would like to know if PHL is any different.

2.) My wife is not a US citizen as I am but has a valid 10 year multiple entry visa. Can we go together through the customs checks for US citizens or does she have to go alone to the "Others" line and I with the kids through the US citizens' line.

Is there anything we need to know about navigating through the PHL airport if we arrive on USAir?

Thanks,

S

obscure2k

Moving thread to US Air Forum.
Obscure2k
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IzzyL

Just arrived back in PHL from Jamaica last week. Longest wait was for bags to come in and then we went through customs. There was only one other plane coming in at the same time at that was also from the islands. All told we were maybe a half hour and basically walked right through the customs line.
There may be more traffic coming in from Europe which would slow down the process!
Not sure about the different procedures for non-US citizens

kimharp

I live in Philly, and since our new International terminal was built a few years ago, waits at immigration and customs have always been pretty reasonable and often quick. I haven't used the foreign lanes but there always seem to be plenty open. I would think with a three hour connection you will be fine, assuming your flight is on time. The European flights are frequently early. Depending on what terminal your connecting flight is leaving from, you may want to avoid going back through security at B or C, since lines there can sometimes be long in late afternoon. To answer your question, I don't think you need to kill yourself running!

PHL_roadwarrior

1. 3 hours is sufficient time for a connection (provided your bags are not the absolute last!!). Issue will be other flights from Europe coming in around the time yours gets here.....(baggage handling in PHL is pretty slow, and during the Europe "rush hour" - 1PM ~ 4PM, it seems to take forever).

2. Might be best for all of you go through the "non citizen" line (actually all the stations are outfitted to handle all types of incoming pax - so you COULD go through the citizen line but you will have to bear the dirty stares of people like myself for slowing down the line ) - note that the non-citizen lines are (obviously) slower given every non-citizen needs to be fingerprinted etc. I have found that going through immigration at its own (slow) pace puts you just in time for you to collect your bags as they come out on the belt (assuming you are somewhere in the middle of the crowd getting out of the plane....YMMV)

...note that it is a rather long walk (especially with kids in tow) from A West (which is where you get out of immigration) to the far end of C terminal....that said, if your flight is out of the F terminal, just get on the bus from A/B to F (AFTER you go past immigration - customs - and back in through security in that order) and you are quickly there.