What's the smoothest airport to enter the US for passport control out of Newark, Boston or Philadelphia?
I'm travelling with a student VISA to Pittsburgh. I'm flying from Lisbon and the flight connections are to Newark, Boston or Philadelphia. I would like to know if there's an "ideal" option between these. In order to avoid delays getting stuck in long lines and missing the next flight.
Best Answer
I'd go with Boston of those three options, but it is hugely dependent on time of day, and what other flights arrive before/after your arrival, but for your connections, the most important thing is layover time. I'd try to maximize layover time, so while Boston has less traffic (only slightly from PHL) (significantly from Newark), if you can get an extra 20 minutes on your Philadelphia layover, I'd take that. Also, just reading the tripadvisor forums, people generally report 40 mins to get through customs in Boston, a little under an hour in Philly, a dab over an hour at Newark, at peak times.
Source for preference: professional experience
Pictures about "What's the smoothest airport to enter the US for passport control out of Newark, Boston or Philadelphia?"
What do border control see when they scan your passport?
The computer chip or machine readable passports do not hold your criminal records or any other personal information other than your name, place of birth, date of birth, passport number and the issue and expiry dates of the document. The chip is capable of carrying other information, but not criminal records.How do I get through US customs fast?
Five Tips to Help You Get Through Customs FasterDo you have to go through passport control on connecting flights?
In almost all cases, if your bags are checked through to your final destination and you already have your onward boarding pass, you'll go through transit security when you land at your connecting airport instead of customs.Is Passport control the same as immigration?
\u201cImmigration\u201d is about the people traveling from one country to another. It's sometimes called \u201cpassport control\u201d or \u201cborder control\u201d depending on the airport. \u201cCustoms\u201d is about the stuff those people are carrying with them.Rnbstylerz \u0026 AREES - WHAT
More answers regarding what's the smoothest airport to enter the US for passport control out of Newark, Boston or Philadelphia?
Answer 2
I would also go with Boston, as years ago, I got through immigration pretty quickly. However, it may be more important to determine whether you will have to change terminals, and/or whether you can check through your baggage.
In any case, give sufficient time for the transfer; depending on the connecting flight and airline, give even a bit more, or you may be stranded for the day (if bad comes to worse).
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Daniel Torobekov, Charles Parker, Maarten van den Heuvel, Samson Katt