Connecting Flight + Immigration - When do you go through?

[lucybelle]

I'm basically trying to figure out layovers, because I've been to the airports he could be flying out of, they're easy to navigate, etc., meaning I wouldn't mind a less-than-3 hour layover. However, if he's going to have to go through customs/immigration, then I want to think more about a 4-5 hour layover simply because then he'd have to re-go through security and depending on the lines, it can get absolutely and miserably insane. :P There's a difference in price and so I'm trying to compare prices (currently, longer layovers = more expensive) while also giving him enough of a layover, but that "enough of a layover" changes depending on whether he's cleared before he leaves Dublin or if he needs to rush through after his flight touches base.

I'll ring up the airport and see who they direct me to talk to. Thank you!

FOUR TO FIVE HOURS??? Heeeelllll no! With immigration I'd put layovers at the MOST at 3 hours. Two is usually enough.

[Haley53]

FOUR TO FIVE HOURS??? Heeeelllll no! With immigration I'd put layovers at the MOST at 3 hours. Two is usually enough.

Oh. :P Well that's good to know. >_>

I've rarely taken more than 40 minutes to get from one terminal to another to catch a connecting flight, so I tend to love shorter layovers because I hate sitting round in the airport, but I have friends who use every minute of their layovers and still have a hard time catching their flights. But at least I have that much of a correction. :P I imagine 1.5 hours wouldn't work for if he were going through immigration/security/etc. though?

[lucybelle]

1.5 hours would be cutting it close, but it would be doable. It's less about getting through immigration, that shouldn't take longer than 30-45 min, and more about the possibility of his plane being delayed, re-routed or something else that would make him arrive 30-45 min late. You just have to be careful.

I once had a plane re-routed and we landed at the same time my other place was supposed to take off. I SPRINTED to the terminal and they let me on. It can be done

[mllebamako]

Well I'm not sure about that. It makes me wonder though, if you arrive into the USA via Dublin and don't go through immigration, then you never get stamped in. Since from there it would be domestic and you wouldn't get stamped anywhere else either. Which confuses me. But, if you didn't have to go through anything, that means he wouldn't either. It's not specific to USA passport holders or not. If one person has to go through customs EVERYONE does. Call the airport in the USA to find out.

I would just prepare for time to do it. It's really not that big of a deal.

That's the thing though, you DO go through immigration and customs. You just do it in the Dublin airport. It seems weird to me too but I've also never flown from Ireland. I learned something new today

Anyway, don't worry too much about the layover. I think 2-3 hours is a good amount but then again, I never get the layovers I want and always end up spending 8-9 hours in airports. Ridiculous. Also, if he misses his connecting flight, they'll find him another way to get to his destination.

[Haley53]

Haha. XD

Well thank you! I appreciate the reassurance. I remember, when I went out to see him, it was my first ever connecting flight. I had a friend telling me horror stories about Georgia and then goes "could be worse, you could be connecting through JFK" which is where I was being routed on my way home. I was so terrified and had a couple hours in Georgia and three or so in New York. My plane arrived early both times, and I ended up making it to my connection terminals easy... However, I'm convinced since my flight to England, nothing can phase me!

I was flying to London and we left from my house about 4 hours early. The airport's about an hour to an hour and a half away from my house depending on traffic, but there ended up being some horrible accident. After being caught in traffic for a couple hours, we ended up being re-routed... I arrived at the airport with about 30-40 minutes to spare, didn't even get to say goodbye to my mother, really, was rushed through security due to the circumstances and ended up at my gate about 15 minutes or so before departure. Thankfully they let me on. The airport can be so terrifying when things like that happen! So I feel your pain on that one. x:

[Riyko]

i don't know if this will help any or give anymore in sight into it, but for example when i come back to the states from Toronto i go through US customs and immigration at the Toronto airport, so i don't deal with that in the US. I've never experienced anything like that, but if this helps any, anytime my ex (he's from Chile) flies into the US from Toronto and even if his final destination is in the US and he stops at JFK he always has to go through customs and immigration again at JFK the reason for it is because he's going from an international terminal to a domestic terminal, so even though he did it once he has to do it again.

[13000km]

Even though he has been pre-cleared in Dublin he has to go through immigration in NY again because that's the only way out of the international terminal. All passengers, including US citizens have to go through this as long as you're coming into the country. Once he's in the domestic airport and even when landing in his final destination he will not need to go through immigration or customs again.

[Haley53]

Hm, if it's the same for US and non-US residents, then I'm going to guess he won't have to. I had to go through customs on landing on US soil when coming home from London, and have any other time I've been out of the country, but not coming from Dublin. The reason for this, as I'm understanding it from the sources I shared, is that it allows international flights to land in domestic terminals and thus you're treated as a domestic passenger. Because if it's the same for both of us, I have made the flight to and from Dublin and I went through customs/immigration there, at their airport, and was treated as a domestic traveller once in the US, despite having a connecting flight.

[mllebamako]

It seems like Dublin (and some Canadian airports) is a really unique case and that's why most of us have never heard of doing preclearance. I'm assuming that Dublin flights land in a domestic terminal, rather than an international one, so that they avoid immigration and customs.

[Haley53]

I had contacted Dublin airport with my question and they confirmed that if it's a direct flight from Dublin to JFK, even if he'll be connecting on to his final destination, he'll clear US Customs & Immigration there and so will be treated as a domestic passenger on arrival/land in a domestic terminal. How convenient. :P

But I'll be closing this thread since there's no longer any need for it.

Thank you everyone for your help!