Transit times through US airports

Amp34 · 12 Jun 2010 at 14:47

I'm trying to book some flights where I'd be landing in the US and then flying straight off to another US airport. AFAIK you have to go through customs/immigration at the first airport so if I land in New York and then transit to another US airport 2:30 hours after landing I have to go through immigration in NY. Question is is 2:30 hours actually long enough to get through immigration then get on the next plane?

JBuk · 12 Jun 2010 at 14:48

2:30hrs should be long enough for any airport

Jokester · 12 Jun 2010 at 14:50

2hours 30 should be more than enough, even if you land after another big jet.

Amp34 · 12 Jun 2010 at 15:07

Thanks, another question, how long should I really be leaving to get through immigration? The other options I have are get a bus at 18:30 from outside Boston Airport, if a flight arrives from the UK at around 5pm then is an hour and a half enough? Alternatively is 3 hours enough to get through immigration at JFK then get to La guardia (New York) for a connecting flight...

Sorry for the random questions but I don't really have much experience with US airports.

JBuk · 12 Jun 2010 at 15:14

I would give it more than 3 hrs as there's so many things that can hold you up

buckeejit · 12 Jun 2010 at 16:07

it would have been a problem if you had to check in baggage again for another flight at the same airport but you don't t so

Amp34 · 12 Jun 2010 at 16:20

Cool.

At the moment it's looking like a flight to Boston arriving at 3:50pm and trying to get a coach outside the airport at 5:30pm...

Sone · 12 Jun 2010 at 16:22

really depends, i was in Philadelphia once and 2 asian planes had landed just before (1 early 1 late) and waited well over 2 hours. Got pulled up at Dallas once and that was about 4 hours from memory.

If its JFK it is supposed to be one of the worst (only been there for internal flights, been to Newark and that was fine.

buckeejit · 12 Jun 2010 at 16:24

I flew into JFK from Dublin 2 years back and was out of the airport within 2 hours.

meghatronic · 12 Jun 2010 at 17:15

I don't understand. You only have to clear immigration when you 'leave' the airport? I.e. the final destination.

ringo747 · 12 Jun 2010 at 17:18

I had 2.5 hours last year to get from Miami to Orlando. Took me 1.45 getting through customs alone, then you have to go collect your bag, recheck it in, get tickets and then run to the other end of the airport. Just made the flight.

Nix · 12 Jun 2010 at 17:28

Try not to walk funny when you get off the plane.

Amp34 · 12 Jun 2010 at 18:11

meghatronic said:
I don't understand. You only have to clear immigration when you 'leave' the airport? I.e. the final destination.

Not from what I understand. You go through immigration at the airport you first touch US soil in?

I understood it that if you flew from Heathrow to Boston and then flew to New york (just an example) you have to go through immigration at Boston not New York?

Scuzi · 12 Jun 2010 at 18:28

Amp34 said:
Not from what I understand. You go through immigration at the airport you first touch US soil in?

I understood it that if you flew from Heathrow to Boston and then flew to New york (just an example) you have to go through immigration at Boston not New York?

Correct.

2:30 should be plenty as long as your flight isn't delayed. Don't worry too much unless you've got to catch the last connecting flight though. Airline staff will put you on the next available flight with a few taps of a keyboard.

Rroff · 12 Jun 2010 at 19:01

Depends a lot - not being racist but your ethnicity comes into it... a few times when I've got off the plane theres been 4x 100m long queues of eastern, black, etc. but being white I've been waved through... but sometimes you get stuck behind that and you could be there a couple of hours easily at the rate they go.

Jokester · 12 Jun 2010 at 19:03

Yeah avoid the queue with people that look like they don't speak English.

Beansprout · 12 Jun 2010 at 19:04

You'll be fine, just queue behind white people.

Sad but true, I waited about 30min behind one poor Mexican guy once.

jas72 · 12 Jun 2010 at 19:09

meghatronic said:
I don't understand. You only have to clear immigration when you 'leave' the airport? I.e. the final destination.

Must have changed since 2008 I flew every year to orlando and we always cleared immigration had to collect our bags pass through customs then recheck our bags onto the next flight.

Got my passport stamped in Atlanta, Chicago and New York but never been outside the airport in those locations. We had a 3 hour in JFK once and we will never transit through it again.

Smelly unwashed staff with no people skills at all. Felt like mooing my way through.

Also saw a rat in the elevator at San Francisco airport. was the longest elevator ride of my life....

Scuzi · 12 Jun 2010 at 19:32

jas72 said:
Must have changed since 2008 I flew every year to orlando and we always cleared immigration had to collect our bags pass through customs then recheck our bags onto the next flight.

It hasn't changed.

Raumarik · 12 Jun 2010 at 21:14

Depends on the airport, Seattle is extremely quick, we were out and about in less than 30mins after landing, depends on the time of day your landing at though. 2.5hrs should be more than enough in any airport though, as long as you get a move on when you get off the plane.