POE

[vareska 3]

I know I could have posted this elsewhere, but y'all are a smart bunch, so ...

Question for the frequent travelers among you:

Which POE would you recommend for someone arriving to the US in December (week of 7. December)?

This past August I was coming back home via Washington Dulles airport, and it took 2 hours to get through customs, the line for US citizens was huge and don't even get me started on the other line where my poor husband will have to wait.

I don't travel often, never during winter, so we don't know what to expect.

Would you think that the traffic would not be that bad at Dulles that time of year and 2 hour layover would be sufficient, or should we look to book flight via smaller, less crowded airports?

Every suggestion is welcome.

Thank you so much guys!

Best regards from a non-noob

[scandal 951]

What's your final destination?

And which airline are you flying?

Seems to me you would want to enter either at final destination, or at a major hub for the airline you chose which gives you efficient connections.

It's very difficult to predict in advance where you'll get queued up. A 2 hour wait is really not all that bad especially in the post 9/11 era. Give yourself plenty of time for a connecting flight, and don't sweat it.

[vareska 3]

What's your final destination?

And which airline are you flying?

Seems to me you would want to enter either at final destination, or at a major hub for the airline you chose which gives you efficient connections.

It's very difficult to predict in advance where you'll get queued up. A 2 hour wait is really not all that bad especially in the post 9/11 era. Give yourself plenty of time for a connecting flight, and don't sweat it.

Oh, that was stupid of me:) Final destination is Dallas, TX, flying most likely United...

[scandal 951]

What's your final destination?

And which airline are you flying?

Seems to me you would want to enter either at final destination, or at a major hub for the airline you chose which gives you efficient connections.

It's very difficult to predict in advance where you'll get queued up. A 2 hour wait is really not all that bad especially in the post 9/11 era. Give yourself plenty of time for a connecting flight, and don't sweat it.

Oh, that was stupid of me:) Final destination is Dallas, TX, flying most likely United...

If heading for DFW, why not fly American direct to that destination?

Otherwise, if it must be United, I think Dulles would be your best choice if arriving on the east coast.

[vareska 3]

American's prices scare me

In August, it took me (US citizen) 2 hours to clear customs, had to literally run to catch my plane to Dallas/FTW.

I am now wondering if it will be any better for hubs in December, or should I look for a longer layover for him.

I am so excited and confused

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

I generally find Canadian connections fast (though I'm not sure they are used for midwest connections)

I can tell you places to avoid:

JFK

Newark

Philly

Chicago

[vareska 3]

I generally find Canadian connections fast (though I'm not sure they are used for midwest connections)

I can tell you places to avoid:

JFK

Newark

Philly

Chicago

Every little bit of info helps, thanks so much!

[Marina-Del 10]

Maybe I'm wrong, but I feel like I once heard that our non-American spouses could wait in the American citizen lines with us -at least when they were coming in on a K-1 visa. I know for a fact that someone successfully did this! But whether or not this is common is the question...

[milimelo 4,236]

Vareska, American-citizen line for CR-1 visa holders, do NOT have him go to visitor's line unless you want him to miss his flight!

We just went back through Dulles and the citizen line was not too bad - maybe a 15 minute wait - the flight from Vienna arrived around 3 pm, we had enough time to go to our gate for ORD flight.

Your husband should have sufficient time to make it to the flight, if he misses it, they'll put him on the next available flight (United or any other airline).

Best of luck!

[Susita 175]

We went through the US Citizens line and still missed our connecting flight, LOL

The people in Immigration at the airport basically told us it normally isn't that bad, but they were deporting some people and it was a busier day than usual. That's Miami for ya, I would have flown direct to JFK if it was cheaper.