When you are planning your trip you need seats on the aircraft near the front to try to be at the front of the queues at Immigration. Do take time and care filling in the immigration forms as if you have made a mistake you will be returned to the queue. If in doubt ask the airline staff for advice. Do remember that you are not allowed to take any fruit into the USA so if you took some for the flight leave it with the airline staff
When you reach the immigration hall you will need to select a queue. Go for the far right hand queue as this is next to the American queue and when they have finished processing the Americans they will call people from the adjacent queue.
Recently the immigration officers seem to have become more welcoming. You will have to give fingerprints and they will take a photograph but it is quite quick even now when they take all your finger prints it is only 3 operations, right hand fingers all together , left hand fingers altogether and two thumbs together. You will also have to declare if you are carrying any food, although things like tea bags are fine.
When you reach baggage reclaim your luggage is likely to be circulating but if you are travelling economy you may still need to keep an eye on the Premium Economy carousel as sometimes the bags get mixed up. There is one more check before you leave the baggage hall and some people are selected to have their bags x-rayed.
You are going to have to get on a shuttle to reach the main terminal building and just -outside baggage reclaim you have to leave your trolley. You can put your heavy luggage on a conveyer belt and then wait for it again at the other end or, if you can carry or wheel it, you can take it with you. This does save a lot of time as you are then at the front of the queues for the car hire.
At the other end of the shuttle trip you cross the concourse and go down the escalators or lift one floor to the baggage reclaim or two floors to the car hire desks. It is then only a short walk across the road to pick up your car.
The whole process can take anything from 30 minutes to well over an hour!
When you reach the immigration hall you will need to select a queue. Go for the far right hand queue as this is next to the American queue and when they have finished processing the Americans they will call people from the adjacent queue.
Recently the immigration officers seem to have become more welcoming. You will have to give fingerprints and they will take a photograph but it is quite quick even now when they take all your finger prints it is only 3 operations, right hand fingers all together , left hand fingers altogether and two thumbs together. You will also have to declare if you are carrying any food, although things like tea bags are fine.
When you reach baggage reclaim your luggage is likely to be circulating but if you are travelling economy you may still need to keep an eye on the Premium Economy carousel as sometimes the bags get mixed up. There is one more check before you leave the baggage hall and some people are selected to have their bags x-rayed.
You are going to have to get on a shuttle to reach the main terminal building and just -outside baggage reclaim you have to leave your trolley. You can put your heavy luggage on a conveyer belt and then wait for it again at the other end or, if you can carry or wheel it, you can take it with you. This does save a lot of time as you are then at the front of the queues for the car hire.
At the other end of the shuttle trip you cross the concourse and go down the escalators or lift one floor to the baggage reclaim or two floors to the car hire desks. It is then only a short walk across the road to pick up your car.
The whole process can take anything from 30 minutes to well over an hour!