Dallas- how much time to clear customs?

[spunks]

How much time should we schedule between connecting flights at Dallas Intl when we are flying in from London?

We were looking at a flight that left only a 1 1/2 hour window.Is that enough time to clear customs and security?

Thanks

Doug

[ab0si]

Not just customs and security; there is also passport control.

 

Flights on this route average 80% on-time (defined as <= 15 minutes late).

 

I wouldn't schedule a connecting flight with only a 90-minute scheduled window.

[Keith1010]

How much time should we schedule between connecting flights at Dallas Intl when we are flying in from London?

We were looking at a flight that left only a 1 1/2 hour window.Is that enough time to clear customs and security?

Thanks

Doug

 

You mean Dallas Fort Worth?

 

While Dallas it one of the better airports (we use it all the time) I would not feel comfortable with only 90 minutes.

 

Why?

 

You will need to pick up your luggage (that takes time)

 

You will need to go through passport control and also customs. Overall we've had good experiences with passport control but if several planes converge at the same time and/or if there is lack of personnel there it can take quite a while.

 

Then after turning your bags back in if you are checking them the odds say your next flight will be leaving out of another terminal.

 

Also, your plane could arrive late and I am not sure if you are flying first, business or coach.

 

If this was me I would want a longer connection time.

 

Keith

[Gloria Mundi]

Then after turning your bags back in if you are checking them the odds say your next flight will be leaving out of another terminal.

 

And, having passed through baggage claim, you're airside again so you need to go through another TSA line to get to your connection even in the same terminal. I prefer 3 hours for international to domestic connections. 2 hours is too short for my tastes even though I agreed transit through DFW is pretty efficient.

[spunks]

ok...Thank all of yall for the info. It confirms what I thought, but this forum gives the best advice available. Thanks again

Doug

[Keith1010]

And, having passed through baggage claim, you're airside again so you need to go through another TSA line to get to your connection even in the same terminal. I prefer 3 hours for international to domestic connections. 2 hours is too short for my tastes even though I agreed transit through DFW is pretty efficient.

 

yes, yes, yes...to the TSA lines.

 

I prefer 3 hours as well for international and 90 minutes but ideally 2 hours for domestic.

 

Keith

[frugaltravel]

1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes are the "legal" minimum connect times for most airlines/transfers. It depends on how comfortable you are with these legal connections or want more time. Also depends on whether you prefer to guarantee yourself a longer layover in the airport by booking a later connection or whether you prefer to book a shorter, but fully legal, connection and if you miss it realize that the airline will rebook you onto the next flight anyway (subject to availability of course).

[Keith1010]

1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes are the "legal" minimum connect times for most airlines/transfers. It depends on how comfortable you are with these legal connections or want more time. Also depends on whether you prefer to guarantee yourself a longer layover in the airport by booking a later connection or whether you prefer to book a shorter, but fully legal, connection and if you miss it realize that the airline will rebook you onto the next flight anyway (subject to availability of course).

 

I for one do not go by legal requirements because in the end if I miss my flight I have to deal with the consequences. Certainly I vary this by airport but the bottom line is that when one arrives back to the USA on an international flight they should book flights that allow much more time than the legal requirement.

 

I arrived into the USA at Chicago O'hare last year. About 15 minutes before we arrived there was a very large arrival of people from Asia and because of insufficient personnel at the non USA arrival passport control they had them go on the American Citizen line. The bottom line is that we were on passport control lines for something like 90 minutes. We had a three hour layover. I can't tell you how many people with just a legal layover missed their flights and some were arguing with the passport control personnel and I thought one guy would get locked up.

 

With so many flights running full, why take the chance of not getting on another flight that very day.

 

Keith

[Francine]

if you miss it realize that the airline will rebook you onto the next flight anyway (subject to availability of course).

 

We booked a flight using miles from LHR to SAT with a connection time through DFW of 1 hour 50 minutes. If we don't make the connection, will the airline still be obligated to get us on the next available flight?

Fran

[Gloria Mundi]

if you miss it realize that the airline will rebook you onto the next flight anyway (subject to availability of course).

 

 

Might be the next morning, though and if you don't have Elite status or were in the cheap seats it might not be the first one of the day.

 

BTW, I should have said "landside" in my earlier post on this thread, not "airside", but I guess people figured that out.

[6rugrats]

if you miss it realize that the airline will rebook you onto the next flight anyway (subject to availability of course).

 

We booked a flight using miles from LHR to SAT with a connection time through DFW of 1 hour 50 minutes. If we don't make the connection, will the airline still be obligated to get us on the next available flight?

 

Fran

 

Yes, FF tickets are treated the same as a "paid" ticket. They will get you on the next flight where there are available seats.

[PennyAgain]

If you miss your flight and the next available seat is overnight or even days later, you have to pay for your own motel/meals/etc. I've slept overnight in airports when I missed a connection. Slept on the floor or on a bit of a row of those dark seats with arms.

 

I fly into D-FW often and have experienced all sorts of waits during the clearing process, but never a short one.

 

You absolutely cannot use your cellphone to call your airline to see about your flight while in those lines.

 

Never put necessary medicines in your checked baggage in case you get delayed.

[frugaltravel]

...the bottom line is that when one arrives back to the USA on an international flight they should book flights that allow much more time than the legal requirement.

 

That is totally an opinion. Not any rule of thumb whatsoever. In fact the "minimum connect time" is a de facto "maximum connect time" since it takes into account things like being in the back of the arriving airplane, etc.

 

I have taken probably over 100 international flights and never book more time than I need. Never missed a connection. Had one close call in JFK once. BUD-JFK-MCO before 9/11 but still had immigration, customs and a big terminal change. Had 45 minutes from landing to my next departure. Still made it. Sure that was unique and an exception. But your advice is only one opinion.

[Keith1010]

That is totally an opinion. Not any rule of thumb whatsoever. In fact the "minimum connect time" is a de facto "maximum connect time" since it takes into account things like being in the back of the arriving airplane, etc.

 

I have taken probably over 100 international flights and never book more time than I need. Never missed a connection. Had one close call in JFK once. BUD-JFK-MCO before 9/11 but still had immigration, customs and a big terminal change. Had 45 minutes from landing to my next departure. Still made it. Sure that was unique and an exception. But your advice is only one opinion.

 

Most of what I read on Cruise Critic is opinion. Isn't it?

 

As I have said often on this board, all of this comes down to how much stress you want to deal with as well as risk.

 

As I mentioned, on our arrival at Chicago O'Hare the legal time would have been insufficient for us to have made our flight and many people missed their flights. I have also been on other flights where we would have missed our connection if we went with the legal requirement.

 

And, yes, I have significantly more than 100 international flights and I also have more domestic flights than I want to ever think of. I haven't seen it all but think I've seen most things that can go wrong. And DFW was my home base airport for over 20 years.

 

Yes, my advice is my opinion. I never said it was gospel.

 

In the end, it's a personal decision as to what to do (same goes for flying in the day of the cruise which I would never do or can you make a 11:00 AM flight out of LAX arriving to San Perdro that morning which I also never do) and how much stress and risk you want to take.

 

And finally my opinion is that the minimum connection times for both domestic and international flights do not take into account specific airports and other factors such as time of day, etc. For example it is far easier to get from one gate to another at some airports compared to other airport. And, there are times of the day where the lines getting through passport control are easier to get thru than at other times. And there are times of the day that it is easier to connect from the international terminal to the domestic terminal. Recently I arrived into San Francisco from Hong Kong late at night. It took me at least another fifteen minutes to get between terminals because since it was late at night they had an area closed off where security is normally done so we had to exit the terminal and go back out to the front as if we were checking in for the first time. Given that our flight took off late and that we wasted at least 15 minutes we would have missed our connection if we went with the legal connection. Again these are average times. They may work most of the time, but the time it doesn't work can be a big problem.

 

Keith

[Gloria Mundi]

I have taken probably over 100 international flights and never book more time than I need. Never missed a connection.

 

You're one lucky dog. Seriously. I couldn't do that or I'd start worrying months in advance about missing my connection. Our last 2 flights home from Madrid (May 2010 and May 2011) landed in DFW 2 hours late. So much for legal connection times. Fortunately, I'd booked us in the airport Marriott for the night rather than the only available flight home, which we would have missed.

 

But everyone's different. You probably hate waiting around in airports when you have time to spare, and I'd rather have the extra time.

[Fattony]

No one can predict transit times at any airport since, as noted, much depends on what other flights land, how many of those people are in the same Immigration line you are, etc. You will go through Immigration, then get your bags, then go through Customs and then (assuming the second airline has an agreement with the first) hand off your bags at a transit desk, and then go through a security line to your next flight.

 

Some good advice above. While an airline will endeavor to put you on the next flight with available seats in your cabin (don't expect an upgrade) should you miss your connection, this does not mean it'll be the very next flight. We missed a connection at IAD after an international flight and had to wait while two full flights left for BOS before we could get one. And it is true that unless the missed conneciton was clearly the fault of the airline (e.g., your flight arrives late), for example, you are delayed in Immigration, the airline may well not give you a hotel voucher should you have to wait overnight for a flight. Friends ran into this at ATL when the wife, who is not a U.S. citizen, was delayed in Immigration and they missed their connecion. It was in the evening and they had to pay for a hotel while they waited overnight for the next flight to Sarasota.

[frugaltravel]

And finally my opinion is that the minimum connection times for both domestic and international flights do not take into account specific airports and other factors such as time of day, etc.

 

MCT's don't take into account time of day, but they do take into account specific airports, domestic to international, international to domestic, domestic to domestic transfers, and even specific airlines and flight numbers. A portion of the posted MCT's at DFW is below. All of the exceptions to the standard times are from international to domestic and are airline-specific.

 

MINIMUM CONNECT TIME TABLE DFW

STANDARD TIMES

DOM TO DOM :50 DOM TO INTL :50

INTL TO DOM 1:10 INTL TO INTL 1:10

 

EXCEPTION ITEM COUNTS

DOM/DOM 0 DOM/INTL 0 INTL/DOM 109 INTL/INTL 0

 

EXCEPTIONS

D/I CC FLT/RANGE T CTY ST CO GEOCD EQP DATES TIME

286 ID JL 7000 7999

JL 7000 7999 1:25

287 ID BA 1500 1610

MX 3000 3399 1:10

[frugaltravel]

You're one lucky dog. Seriously. I couldn't do that or I'd start worrying months in advance about missing my connection. Our last 2 flights home from Madrid (May 2010 and May 2011) landed in DFW 2 hours late. So much for legal connection times. Fortunately, I'd booked us in the airport Marriott for the night rather than the only available flight home, which we would have missed.

 

Then the question becomes how much time do you allow? Allow 4 hours but if your flight is 5 hours late, you still miss it.

 

But everyone's different. You probably hate waiting around in airports when you have time to spare, and I'd rather have the extra time.

 

Exactly. I figure why wait around airports on purpose every time I fly when I can wait around an airport once in a great while if I miss a connection.

[Keith1010]

MCT's don't take into account time of day, but they do take into account specific airports, domestic to international, international to domestic, domestic to domestic transfers, and even specific airlines and flight numbers. A portion of the posted MCT's at DFW is below. All of the exceptions to the standard times are from international to domestic and are airline-specific.

 

MINIMUM CONNECT TIME TABLE DFW

STANDARD TIMES

DOM TO DOM :50 DOM TO INTL :50

INTL TO DOM 1:10 INTL TO INTL 1:10

 

EXCEPTION ITEM COUNTS

DOM/DOM 0 DOM/INTL 0 INTL/DOM 109 INTL/INTL 0

 

EXCEPTIONS

D/I CC FLT/RANGE T CTY ST CO GEOCD EQP DATES TIME

286 ID JL 7000 7999

JL 7000 7999 1:25

287 ID BA 1500 1610

MX 3000 3399 1:10

 

 

I'm not going to go on with this. I have used DFW extensively for twenty years now. Most of the time it was also my home airport. There is no way I would go with a 90 minute window. And I never go with the allowed minimum time for any connection domestic or international.

 

Each person can make their own decision.

 

All I know is that I would have missed many a flight going with the legal connection.

 

Keith

[PennyAgain]

I really am with Keith on this one. Based on my own hard learned experience and an untold number of international and domestic flights with more than a few airport sleep-overs; I allow plenty of extra time to make connections.

 

I'm getting too old and creaky to sleep on the floor in airports.

[Gloria Mundi]

MINIMUM CONNECT TIME TABLE DFW

STANDARD TIMES

DOM TO DOM :50 DOM TO INTL :50

INTL TO DOM 1:10 INTL TO INTL 1:10

 

What a joke! And, to answer your question, my ideal layover for international to domestic connections is 3 hours. Anthing less and a combination of late inbound arrival/slow baggage claim (if necessary)/long customs/immigration queues/bad TSA lines/lengthy time between terminals such as MAD or LHR will kill your chances of making a connection. If I miss a connection despite a 3-hour layover, well, that's life.

[Globaliser]

What a joke!

They're not a joke. If you buy a through ticket, the airline is on the hook for the consequences of a misconnection, particularly on international journeys where care (ie hotel and meals) is more often contractually required if there is a misconnect.

 

So a connection that's book at exactly MCT is going to work for most people most of the time. It will leave no spare time for anything else, and you have to keep moving - but it will usually work.

 

It's surprising what can be done. I once connected TXL-LHR-SYD, with a T1-T4 transfer at LHR. I thought I would be sunk when the TXL-LHR operated late, and then we arrived on a coaching stand at T1 only 35 minutes before the departure of my LHR-SYD flight. But I still made it, and so did my bag.

 

But for personal comfort, I would also normally look for longer connections. (Particularly if there is a nice lounge at the connecting point, which was the reason for deliberately booking a 12½-hour connection at SYD recently.)

[PennyAgain]

Airlines are not responsible by contract for paying for a room if you misconnect due to weater or due to delays in passport control, immigration or customs. Or in the US if you are delayed in the TSA security lines as there are no In Transit facilities in the US.

 

The above are the reasons most people misconnect.

[Gloria Mundi]

They're not a joke. If you buy a through ticket, the airline is on the hook for the consequences of a misconnection, particularly on international journeys where care (ie hotel and meals) is more often contractually required if there is a misconnect.<snip>

 

I understand that those times are not a joke to the airlines- that they imply some sort of promise to re-accommodate you if you schedule at least that amount of layover and something goes wrong. I'm just unwilling to take what I perceive to be a pretty big chance of a missed connection (big by my own standards) and then have to depend on the airline to get me to my destination when they get around to it. We all have different levels of risk aversion. In this instance, mine is pretty high!