Best/worst airport for going through customs on the east coast?

[diversteve]

Miami has been the worst - I can't recall ever going thru there that there wasn't construction going on - but in the spring/summer I also try to avoid Houston as we've experienced weather delays there several times. Although Pappadeux in the terminal makes that bearable...lol

I like Charlotte - being from a former American/USAir hub city have always had good flights/results thru there. I prefer it to the Caribbean than anywhere in Florida. I don't know if it's still the same but years ago cruises flew into MIA and out of FLL - we've been thru FLL a couple times in the morning and it's a ghost town. And there's an inter-airport shuttle option that's not too expensive. For us it's nice since Southwest flies into FLL. Somehow in all my Caribbean travels I've only had to go thru ATL twice.

 

[Hoag]

I thought that Nexus only applied to travel between the US and Canada?

I have used mine clearing US Customs at Miami entering on a flight from Provo, TCI, and in Toronto clearing Canada Customs entering on a flight from Nassau, Bahamas with no issues.

 

[KathyV]

Off-topic, but I am happy to see that lately there have been more flight options from Chicago to the Caribbean. Southwest is flying planes from Midway to Tampa and then on to several Caribbean destinations, and United is finally getting more invested in the market. Even though it was off-season, we were able to book a direct flight from GCM to O'Hare via UA when we flew home from Grand Cayman a couple of weeks ago - we got home in 4 hours and breezed through C&I at ORD, it was a lovely end to a lovely vacation!

 

[scbaNE2179]

I think if you're a card member with specific credit cards, you get the $100 GE fee reimbursed. Another option if you do not want to invest in the time time with GE is to try Mobile Passport(free app to use and download). I don't use this app because I have GE but from what I heard, you can use your phone to scan and go to a dedicated Mobile Passport line at specific airports. Please note that the airport must support Mobile Passport to bypass the normal lines. What I would recommend here is to sign up for GE, then during the interview appointment wait time, use the free Mobile Passport app in the event you need to travel during your GE sign up process.

I would suggest if you want to invest in one of the trusted traveler programs, spend the extra $20 for GE, PreCheck is $80. For $20 more you get PreCheck with your GE application.

I hate waiting in lines, if there's technology or a premium service available, I'd be the one to sign up for it.

 

[Flotsam]

I had a tight connection coming into San Francisco that I would have never made without Global Entry. And the added TSA Pre check is icing on the cake

 

[scbaNE2179]

I had a tight connection coming into San Francisco that I would have never made without Global Entry. And the added TSA Pre check is icing on the cake

If you have GE, It's always a great feeling when the flight crew comes by with those blue US customs/immigration cards and you say "No thanks". Also when skipping the lines you can give your non-GE friends the best smug look.

 

[BDSC]

Another plug for Global Entry. Filling out the paperwork and the application online was a breeze. No real issues with that. We did have to drive to Charlotte for the interview but all in all that wasn't so bad. It's a 2.5 hour drive from my house but we made a day of it and went to a restaurant we liked in Charlotte. The interview took maybe 5 minutes and that would be a stretch. Took longer to walk from the parking lot to the interview than the actual interview. It's really just to get your fingerprints.

To me GE is well worth what it takes to get it. I just worry one day everyone will figure it out and make that process crowded.

 

[flyingDiver75]

Yep, global entry is really nice. Other than waiting for my checked bags to arrive, there are rarely any other stopping points through the entire process.

 

[Maverick17]

I've had GE for about 7 years now, and it is great. But let's be clear, if you have checked bags it doesn't save you a ton of time without priority baggage, i.e. status or flying up front. I've breezed through immigration in minutes around 50 times in those 7 years, but since I lost my status the past few years I have to wait for my bag to roll off the carousel for 30 minutes or more. So while GE is great and I recommend it, especially considering you get PreCheck too, if OP or others consider it, they should know that baggage waits are not eliminated, just the immigration line and, if there is one, the customs line.

All that being said, a direct flight will be faster IMO than any alternate airport with smaller operations and then having to connect. In the NYC area, I'd definitely choose EWR over JFK.

 

[scbaNE2179]

I've had GE for about 7 years now, and it is great. But let's be clear, if you have checked bags it doesn't save you a ton of time without priority baggage, i.e. status or flying up front. I've breezed through immigration in minutes around 50 times in those 7 years, but since I lost my status the past few years I have to wait for my bag to roll off the carousel for 30 minutes or more. So while GE is great and I recommend it, especially considering you get PreCheck too, if OP or others consider it, they should know that baggage waits are not eliminated, just the immigration line and, if there is one, the customs line.

All that being said, a direct flight will be faster IMO than any alternate airport with smaller operations and then having to connect. In the NYC area, I'd definitely choose EWR over JFK.

GE is best if you don't have checked luggage but not sure how many divers are able to vacation dive with just carry on bags. I just started doing carry on only for the past year and it's been awesome. If anyone is wondering, I dive a BPW and F2 Hollis travel fins so I am able to cram everything into a 22x14x9 carry on.