[FirstClassWannabe]

I must be lucky. 3 times to JFK this year and no queue arriving on DL, no queue arriving on IB, worst queue was at the pre-clearance in DUB!! Over an hour and had to be called forward along with many others.

[please_turn_left]

It’s not just JFK though, it’s all US airports.
Most of the time immigration takes hours, very very rarely you get lucky. I think all airlines are powerless to influence foreign border controls, especially in the US, and whilst it’s immensely frustrating, I honestly don’t think there’s much they can do about it.
What really annoys me however is the things BA can influence it don’t such as gate boarding where there is such inconsistency and half the time as an F passenger you end up in a scrum of other passengers which the local airport staff do nothing to control.

[DavidGordon10]

@please_turn_left – I have been lucky: three out of four of my last entries into the USA have been easy – zero or negligible queues at Philly, Minneapolis-St Paul amd Baltimore. The one hell hole was Dulles, but it was ever thus.

[MartynSinclair]

Still makes me smile to see loud Americans complaining at Heathrow. In flight connections – “I have a flight to catch” to border control – ” why should I need to wait”

Tough – you can wait …………..

[DavidGordon10]

Dear Martyn – I’m not sure I agree. I think any civilised country should have a fast and efficient immigration system – and on those grounds, neither the UK nor the USA is aways civilised.

[PatJordan]

Martyn,

All US bound flights ex Dublin depart from Terminal 2 where the US Pre-clearance is situated.

http://www.dublinairport.com/gns/at-the-airport/US-Preclearance.aspx

Hope this helps!

[MartynSinclair]

@DavidGordon10 – I would say both USA and UK are civilised countries, but both have unacceptable border control systems. In the case of America, quite rightly they are spending millions on protecting their borders, however, the one key element overlooked, is a sensible budget so the entry points can be manned correctly.

The UK by comparison, spends millions on manning the border points but still let anyone in….

This makes neither country “uncivilised” – just a border control system in failure.

The Americans think they can breeze into any country with minimal fuss – it would be superb if they treated visitors as they wish to be treated…..

[MarkCymru]

Maybe we could pay India to tell us both how to do it. Touch wood, I never wait more than five minutes at Delhi these days and you know that they are at least as security conscious as us

[Daytripper]

Dear MartynSinclair

So tired of this UKIP, Daily Mail, semi-racist ‘Britain lets anyone in’ bullshit.

[MartynSinclair]

@Daytripper – so am I…. but UKPLC’s doors are not that tightly shut (yet)

BTW, what’s a semi racist???

[Daytripper]

To me, ‘Semi racism’ is racism apparently legitimised under the guise of UKIP mainstream politics and its (often laughable) politicians.

And (BTW) why should we want UKPLC’s doors tightly shut?

I’m a Londoner, and the economy of my city would grind to a halt without the influx of overseas workers who are prepared to do jobs that many lazy British workers wouldn’t.

[StephenLondon]

There is a fast and efficient way if entering the US…Global Entry. If you are a UK passport holder, the US CBP are accepting a new group of applications. So, HedgeFundFlyer, suggest you register. Once approved (it is valid for 5 years), entry to the US takes three mins, tops, as you don’t have to see an Immigration Officer. You also jump to the front if the customs queue.

SNN and DUB have had pre-clearance hours reduced, so later flights do not pre-clear.

The current delays in the US are due to sequestration. They are a disgrace. What a poor welcome to anyone.

Why the UK is scrapping IRIS is a total mystery. When it worked, it w brilliant.

[JonathanM8]

I flew on the first BA service of the day to EWR a couple of weeks ago. Although immigration was still dealing with the previous flight arrival, most of the desks were open and the immigration officer was actually pleasant to us! We were out of the airport 25 minutes from landing (with two pieces of checked luggage). There isn’t that much difference in the taxi ride to Manhattan if that’s your destination. Certainly if your destination is mid-town or lower Manhattan Newark is definitely an option

[HonestCrew]

A couple of months ago, BA crew received an internal message advising us to expect longer, possibly MUCH longer clearance times at US stations.
It explained, due to budget cuts in the US immigration service the number of officers on duty at airports will be reduced.
I do not know if there were forced redundancies within the department, possibly leading remaining officers to operate an unofficial ‘go’slow’ but one thing I can say is the time it takes to clear each crew member varies from officer to officer. Sometimes super-quick, other times painfully slow. JFK Terminal 7 for us being slower than average, but also where I had the fastest officer I have ever experienced. So it can be done quickly, just depends on the officer I feel.

[MartynSinclair]

@daytripper, there is no such word in as “semi-racism”!

Reasons why UKPLC needs to shut doors tightly………….. I think the discussion is for another board…

@StephenLondon, thanks for your info re GLOBAL ENTRY, reviewing the website now and will be phoning on Monday to get further information.

[Author]

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