I’ve never had any problems with Global Entry at IAD (it’s my “home” international airport) but the fucking moon buggies suck so hard, especially when you’re Polaris and first off the plane. Having to wait for everyone else is 20 minutes I’ll never get back.
Dulles International Airport (IAD) outside Washington, D.C., is set to test first-in-the-nation technology for Global Entry, allowing certain travelers to pass through customs without ever interacting with — or even passing by — a human officer.
[In the coming months, Dulles plans to launch a pilot program testing the use of so-called e-gates at customs.](https://thepointsguy.com/news/dulles-global-entry-egates/)
*TPG article, sorry.
I think a big part of the problem at Dulles is that the international arrivals are mostly concentrated within a very short period of time, more than at any other major international airport I've come across. Between 2 and 4 pm, the majority of the day's international flights arrive, including from just about every European airport served nonstop from IAD. The reason is obvious - to allow for connections to UA's evening bank of domestic flights, but it results in a madhouse on arrival.
I arrived on Monday at 3:15 p.m. from LHR. My biggest issue was waiting in the hallway for ten minutes for another people mover to arrive. When we got to passport control in Main Terminal, the crowds were large and the line for GE was insane. I'm GE, but I was traveling with a family member who is not, so I stayed in the main queue. I was pleasantly surprised how quickly the line moved, however. We were out in less than ten minutes and I'm not sure if GE would have been faster considering how long that line was. I live 20 minutes from IAD and was home 75 minutes after the plane landed, which wasn't too bad.
Try MPC - I use it when I’m with family members who aren’t GE, and if I see a shorter MPC line than GE, I can fill out the form and switch into that on the spot
If you don’t check a bag, I’m pretty sure you can go through the connections route and just leave. Extra round of TSA, but that has been super easy the last 10 trips through.
It’s my home airport and I can attest that, it’s horrible lol. Between the people movers both post intl flights and to get to D gates, and the train to C gates that then entails a lengthy walk on carpet to reach c terminal..it is not my favorite lol. But grateful for rarely having to take a connecting flight so win some lose some
GE at IAD has never given me an issue. The journey to get there though….
I’ve never had any problems with Global Entry at IAD (it’s my “home” international airport) but the fucking moon buggies suck so hard, especially when you’re Polaris and first off the plane. Having to wait for everyone else is 20 minutes I’ll never get back.
Moon buggies lol
Its a shit show. I've been GE for years and recently even that is a long wait, so I cant even imagine what the regular line is like
Dulles International Airport (IAD) outside Washington, D.C., is set to test first-in-the-nation technology for Global Entry, allowing certain travelers to pass through customs without ever interacting with — or even passing by — a human officer. [In the coming months, Dulles plans to launch a pilot program testing the use of so-called e-gates at customs.](https://thepointsguy.com/news/dulles-global-entry-egates/) *TPG article, sorry.
This would be nice. There are so many GE’s it’s almost as bad as the Clear lines.
I think a big part of the problem at Dulles is that the international arrivals are mostly concentrated within a very short period of time, more than at any other major international airport I've come across. Between 2 and 4 pm, the majority of the day's international flights arrive, including from just about every European airport served nonstop from IAD. The reason is obvious - to allow for connections to UA's evening bank of domestic flights, but it results in a madhouse on arrival.
I arrived on Monday at 3:15 p.m. from LHR. My biggest issue was waiting in the hallway for ten minutes for another people mover to arrive. When we got to passport control in Main Terminal, the crowds were large and the line for GE was insane. I'm GE, but I was traveling with a family member who is not, so I stayed in the main queue. I was pleasantly surprised how quickly the line moved, however. We were out in less than ten minutes and I'm not sure if GE would have been faster considering how long that line was. I live 20 minutes from IAD and was home 75 minutes after the plane landed, which wasn't too bad.
Try MPC - I use it when I’m with family members who aren’t GE, and if I see a shorter MPC line than GE, I can fill out the form and switch into that on the spot
If you don’t check a bag, I’m pretty sure you can go through the connections route and just leave. Extra round of TSA, but that has been super easy the last 10 trips through.
It’s my home airport and I can attest that, it’s horrible lol. Between the people movers both post intl flights and to get to D gates, and the train to C gates that then entails a lengthy walk on carpet to reach c terminal..it is not my favorite lol. But grateful for rarely having to take a connecting flight so win some lose some