Tight Connection In Houston

[cvchief]

How big is your pony bottle? Do you wash your underwear often?

Rent a condo and bring two pairs of clothes.

 

[scoobydrew]

Last year I was traveling to Austin from Grand Cayman (thats the kind of place that people go on vacation to when they live in the Cayman Islands) and very nearly got shafted on a tight connection in Houston. The issue for my wife and I was that as non US citizens we had to check in to the country in the arriving airport, go through the whole nause then check back in to get our connection, it was a total rigmoral. We were doomed from the start and received absolutely no help whatsoever from airport staff, one particularly arogant officious little sod had the audacity to just lagh at us when we explained that we were going to lose our connection.

Fortunately, our second flight was delayed so we made it, other people that we met on the flight who were going elsewhere (Americans so easier to get through security) weren't so lucky.

I hope this was an isolated incident but it was a ****** start to our vacation in the States. I'm happy to say that the consistent welcoming hospitality that we found at every step in Austin more than made up fo it.

 

[mmmbelows]

Then the missus said, where is the duty free alcohol? Son of %@#$%#$, $%^$%^$, ^*^&*^*, and a few other words, it is in the overhead still. So there was a nice SW lady there by where you recheck bags if you are going somewhere else. She called the plane. We stood there just outside the customs gate and watched every single person on the plane clear customs and leave before our booze showed up. Story of my life.....

Well I hope it was at least some top shelf booze

 

[mmmbelows]

Do you wash your underwear often?

Under wear have two sides don't they?

 

[wico6768]

Now I'm confused, never noticed a global entry baggage line? Maybe I'm having a brain fart here...

When making re-entry to the US, we exit plane in that contained jetway entrance that isolates you and takes you directly to customs. Instead of waiting in the regular custom line, we go to the global entry machine, print out our 'receipt' head over to the special global entry custom agent who we flash the 'receipt' to and he lets you out to where baggage claim is. Now we stand around for 30 minutes waiting for the bags to come out the carousel and everybody who we passed in customs now ends up standing next to us. (this is what I mean where we get through customs quick, but all we end up doing is instead of standing in line for customs for 30 minutes we end up standing waiting for the bags for 30 minutes) We retrieve our checked bags, head to the exit where you give the final custom agent the global entry receipt and he keeps it and you go on your way.

Is this different in some way? That's the process we go through.

Yes, you first go through immigration where you go to the kiosks (or you should) The kiosks print out your receipt. You will show that receipt to immigration and they wave you through to customs (where baggage claim is)

Then, you go wait for bags. Once get bags, there is a global entry line and then you give them that printed out receipt from the kiosks. We have always had much faster times than those without global. Most often, we have our bags before others are even through immigration at all. So there might not even be a line for customs. Depends on airport, but I love GE and would NEVER do LAX without it.

Last time, it took us about half an hour to get off the plane, through immigration, get bags, through customs and outside at LAX. that was because of GE

 

[wico6768]

The automated kiosks in Houston Immigration have sped things up significantly, but I still wouldn't schedule a flight out of there with less than a couple of hours to deal with everything. It's not just the immigration line; things really stack up in the TSA line to get back into the secured part of the airport.

If you have GE, then you will also get pre check, which makes security MUCH shorter. I love it, and will never not have it. It makes TSA easy and fast. But if you dont put your GE number on your reservation you won't get pre check. With pre check, security is maybe 10 minutes on domestic flights. At most. There are some airlines who don't do pre check, and we won't fly them.

 

[cvchief]

And to my knowledge, you still can't get precheck with Southwest on international, as they are using the old Airtran computer system.

 

[gopbroek]

The TSA Pre-Check program is kinda goofy. The Pre check status is issued through the airline and only through selected airlines. I think originally it was a marketing perk but then expanded to include those with a ‘known traveler ID’ as part of Global Entry, NEXUS, and SENTRI. Recently the TSA has begun to aggressively market the program (for an $85 application fee) which then gets you an interview and ultimately a ‘Known traveler ID #’. I now often see the lines for Pre-Check longer than the general screening lines. The actual ID card you get from a program such as Global Entry is meaningless to the TSA, only the Pre Check symbol on the boarding pass counts.

Once you have a ‘Known traveler ID #’ you go to the airline, in AA’s case your Advantage account profile, and insert your Known Traveler ID #. After that your boarding passes, for that airline only, should have a Pre Check symbol on them. Here is where it becomes super secure: When I am traveling with a group for work and I pull the group reservation into my account and check the group in, everyone in the group gets Pre Check because I have Pre Check via Global Entry.

 

[mcohen1021]

Having gone through IAH more than a few times, I promise you 41 minutes wont even get you through immigration.

 

[cvchief]

Once you have a ‘Known traveler ID #’ you go to the airline, in AA’s case your Advantage account profile, and insert your Known Traveler ID #. After that your boarding passes, for that airline only, should have a Pre Check symbol on them. .

Except SW international. I flew domestic and it worked fine.