Best POE (Point of Entry) into the USA

[RacerX]

Having done this, only a few of times:

Newark: bad for delays
Atlanta: OK
Detroit: terrible, very argumentative
Chicago: good for immigration/customs, but weather a huge factor
Houston: hard for connections
JFK: rude, seem to look for problems
Philadelphia: a zoo!

AF:like the airline hate CDG
LOT: OMG

Anyway, this has got to be one of the top YMMV topics!

[Michelangelo]

Cool, thanks Racer 

[Bruce]

The Russian couple came in on the Delta flight (I believe its Flt 31) from Moscow.  They actually arrived early and got through JFK customs in 40 minutes with their luggage where I greeted them and got them to our house.  They got me the present I wanted, a large bottle of platinum.

[Michelangelo]

The Russian couple came in on the Delta flight (I believe its Flt 31) from Moscow.  They actually arrived early and got through JFK customs in 40 minutes with their luggage where I greeted them and got them to our house.  They got me the present I wanted, a large bottle of platinum.

That sounds promising...looks like JFK did well.

Changing the focus a bit...but someone will know.

I am going to Crimea in a few weeks.  Delta takes me through Moscow and then to SIP.   Do they have transit visas there?  Can I do this?

[Bruce]

I am not 100% sure, but I believe the arrival area at the top of the steps, before you go down the gautlet through passport control in Moscow handles the transit visas - which I believe you will need, but again I am not 100% sure in small part because I am not sure what SIP is.

[Michelangelo]

SIP is the code for the airport in Crimina..

Simferopol SIP

But I don't want to fool with the transit visa, so I think I will just fly to Kiev on Aerosvit Airlines from NY and then connect to Simferpol.  I was trying to avoid Aerosvit 

[Bruce]

Ah, thanks for the acronym education.

[goleta2sin]

Las Vegas MCCarran was fast friendly and even provided the much sought after EAD stamp on the I-94.

[Michelangelo]

Las Vegas MCCarran was fast friendly and even provided the much sought after EAD stamp on the I-94.

Thank!  Whhat was the internatiional departing city that flew into McClarran?

[Vaughn]

For my wife, I flew from Moscow with her.  I went up to the foreigner line at JFK and presented my wife and I to the customs girl.  She made things very easy for my wife - and I suspect they would treat any FSU woman here for the first time alot better if their husband or husband to be arrived with them.

 Bruce, I couldn't agree more. Our first entry together was a
breeze. Another K-1 woman traveling alone and who spoke no
English stuck to us like glue; we walked her through it as well.
They asked her where she'd be living - and she was clueless
even after my wife posed the question in Russian. She guessed
Michigan - but it was really Massachusetts. I thought the immigration
clerks in Terminal 3 handled the first-timers fairly well.

JFK is good for me because it is the closest airport and I have been familiar with it my whole life (it is always under construction).  I have to pick up a Russian couple this Monday when they arrive at terminal three (Delta / Aeroflot)

 My Dad flew for PanAm out of Idlewild/JFK since I was a kid so
I know it well. Two weeks ago, I was surprised to find out that Aeroflot
switched to Terminal 1 - and the change was pleasant. Outbound, I
never had such a relaxed experience - lines moved quickly and
security worked efficiently. Coming back, I was way over my allowance
on vodka - customs never touched my bags, just welcomed me home.
I lived in Houston for six years - considering everything, that'd be my
recommendation if one finds JFK a hassle.

 BTW, Moscow security completely unloaded my suitcase and checked
everything. The bag was 6 kg over to the tune of 850 rubles...

Vaughn

 

[Jet]

Remember, the flights to USA have free baggage such as two 70 pound bags less than certain size

Be careful with this! Lufthansa just lowered their allowed weight to 50lbs recently and Liliya got popped for overweight charges just a few weeks ago - her and the little guy travelling w/ 3 bags at 60lbs ea. and they wanted to nail her for $25 per bag. Luckily we sweet talked the girl into a  $25 flat fee.

Our initial entry into JFK was very similar to Vaughn's & Bruce's.

[ConnerVT]

Delta is down to 50lb each also.

[catzenmouse]

JFK screwed up Elena's paperwork and were extremely rude and uncooperative.

Dulles was good the first time but complete A-holes yesterday. Took us 2 hours to get through customs there. They basically crapped on everyone who was sent to the A, B, C room and were at best fully useless and lazy.

Think I'll book my flights through Houston too! Would also give me a chance to have a beer with jb. I see you brought back the "Buck" avatar. 

Ken

[wendaaaal]

SIP is the code for the airport in Crimina..

Simferopol SIP

But I don't want to fool with the transit visa, so I think I will just fly to Kiev on Aerosvit Airlines from NY and then connect to Simferpol.  I was trying to avoid Aerosvit 

Hello Michelangelo,
 Flew into SIP last two summers, once from JFK, once from ORD.  Turkish Airlines via Istanbul. Inflight staff o.k., food decent. Airbus and Boeing planes(maybe you need a break from Tupolevs and YAKS? ). Ground staff at Istanbul among the worst anywhere . However, hours quicker than anyone but Aerosvit. Don't need a visa if you go through the transit area. Decent connections going over, have to overnight there on the way back, in which case you buy the visa anyway. (15 Euros or 20 bucks, cash only! ) 
Wendell

[Michelangelo]

Thanks, Wendell!  Great information.

We got our tickets yesterday.  I'm flying Delta non-stop from JFK to Kiev.  We'll stay there a week or so and then fly to SIP.  My fiancee got our tickets; seems like a one-way was 80 bucks or so.  Lots of flights each day.

After two weeks there, we'll take the train to Dnepr.

I'm excited, and ready to get out of here...   

[ronin308]

Delta paired up with Air Farce because the both offer the same rotten service.  One definately deserves the other.  My last LOT Polish trip resulted in delays on 3 of my legs which meant a missed connection on return to the US.

Being a west coaster I can say San Francisco has been the best POE for me (been through SFO,JFK, Chicago, Dulles and LAX) and is the one I plan to bring my fiance through if I have the choice.

20 kgs per bag is becoming the defacto standard of all international flights with an 8 kg limit on carry ons as well.  It still beats Aerosvit with a 20 kg limit regardless of # of bags.

[Michelangelo]

Delta paired up with Air Farce because the both offer the same rotten service.  One definately deserves the other.  My last LOT Polish trip resulted in delays on 3 of my legs which meant a missed connection on return to the US.

Being a west coaster I can say San Francisco has been the best POE for me (been through SFO,JFK, Chicago, Dulles and LAX) and is the one I plan to bring my fiance through if I have the choice.

20 kgs per bag is becoming the defacto standard of all international flights with an 8 kg limit on carry ons as well.  It still beats Aerosvit with a 20 kg limit regardless of # of bags.

did they also weigh your backpack on Aersovit?  or just take your work on it on the 8 kg?  I took Delta cuz you can still check two 50 pound bags.

[catzenmouse]

It still beats Aerosvit with a 20 kg limit regardless of # of bags.

We had no problem last month with Aerosvit about this 20KG total issue. We had 5 bags all weighing in the 20 KG range for three of us.

Ken

[ronin308]

Sorry, the 20kg limit is domestic flights where they use the AN-24 turboprop.  I believe they are 20 kg per bag for international.  I've also had Aerosvit try and weigh my carry on for a domestic flight and make me pay the overweight fee for it.  Whether or not they do this depends on how much I smooze with the ticket agent.

The only carrier I know of that was weighing carryons for the 8kg was Lufthansa and they only did it when I left the states.  In Kiev they seemed to not care. 

I also just took the Delta flight and am very surpised at the lack of security screening done before entering the US, most other airports I went through required a secondary "tighter" screen.  I wouldn't be suprised in the future to hear to a terror incident on either the Aerosvit or Delta flights.

[catzenmouse]

We did take two domestic flights. No problems either way. Guess you might need to work on your schmoozing skills...

Ken

[rpmschevy]

I have not flown with a foreigner, but POE that I found somewhat easy was SFO (San Francisco).  I helped a couple foreigners with directions to go through and one time they actually made it through quicker that I did (checked the wrong box on the paperwork for me).

[Bruce]

When I flew out of JFK to Moscow late last month we were allowed two 50 pound bags per passenger, which I thought would be strictly checked.  The line out the International flights door was so long, people waited on it until called by agents for their particular flight.  When we got to the girl she did not bother weighing anything.  They just rushed us through.  When we went to Hawaii they weighed our bags carefully and we were over by 1 1/2 pounds.  We had to redistribute our weight on the spot or have to pay.  I believe the Delta fine is $25 for over 50 pounds and below 75 pounds and $100 for over 75 pounds.  The funny thing is Delta lets you bring a up to 40 pound carry on bag.  The reality is its all a crap shoot depending when you fly out and when you come back in.  One other point is that I got through customs in five minutes no hasstle what so ever.  The problem was waiting for the bags which took 20 minutes.  Then it was give my slip to the girl showing I bought a few bottles of vodka and three bell dolls and out I went.

See below:

"Carry-on Baggage
You can carry on one bag plus one personal item per passenger as long as it:

Weighs less than 40 pounds (18 kg).
Does not exceed 45 inches when you total length plus width plus height.
Fits easily into our SizeWiseŽ unit (approximately 22"x14"x9").
Fits in an overhead bin or underneath the seat in front of you.
Here are some examples of personal items:

Male or female purse
Briefcase
Laptop computer (All laptop/computers must be carried aboard and cannot be checked. For information about Delta's battery-saving system for laptops, visit Connectivity)
Camera case
Diaper bag
Items of a similar or smaller size to those listed above, such as Portable Electronic Devices.
These additional items are okay to carry on and don't count towards your allowance:

Food items for immediate consumption
Assistive devices such as wheelchairs or crutches, provided passenger is dependent on them
One box or bag of duty free merchandise
A coat or jacket
An umbrella
One item of reading material
There may be more limits to carry-on baggage based on available space and additional restrictions on certain flights.



Return to top

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Checked Baggage
You can check two bags per passenger free of charge.

Each bag must:

Weigh 50 pounds (22.5 kg) or less.
Not exceed 62 inches when you total length plus width plus height.
Exceptions:

Passengers traveling to or from Key West, Florida are limited to one checked bag.
The free weight allowance is 70 pounds (32 kg) for tickets purchased in Brazil.
With the exception of original factory-sealed boxes that will be accepted on a standby basis, we do not accept boxes as checked baggage to Central or South America (except Brazil, Mexico, and Chile) at any time of the year.

If you have a bag that exceeds these allowances, see Excess Baggage.

Some packages, sporting goods, musical instruments, and fragile or bulky items may require special handling. For more information on special items, see Special Baggage.



Return to top

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

General Conditions of Acceptance
Delta will accept your baggage for transportation, subject to the following conditions:

All baggage is subject to search.
We reserve the right to refuse baggage whose size, weight, character, or condition is unsuitable for transportation on the particular aircraft which is to transport it or which cannot be accommodated without harming or annoying passengers.
Baggage check-in requirements, which vary by airport, must be met. Please review Airport Check-in Requirements for details.
Baggage must be checked in at a Delta designated city or airport office.
Your name must be on your luggage.
Baggage will not be checked to a destination that is not on a passenger's itinerary.
For complete Checked and Carry-On Baggage rules, see Delta's Contract of Carriage."

[RESQU]

I know this is an old thread, and prob. most are aware of this by now but I thought I would send it in case... Delta started offering non-stop flights to Kiev in July out of Atlanta.  I came in late at night to JFK and it was not busy...seemed like the immigration line moved quickly.  I wonder if day of the week has a bearing also, I came in on a Saturday.

[dwfunk]

Las Vegas MCCarran was fast friendly and even provided the much sought after EAD stamp on the I-94.

The reason the so called EAD stamp is so hard to get, is that it is not needed, and was actually never needed for K-1 visa holders.  As long as the I-94 shows entry was via a K-1 visa, you have an EAD, a 90 EAD.  A K-1 visa holder IS authorized to work.  DHS will share info with SSA as long as questons 33a and 33b on form DS-230 are answered and a SSN will be issued.

_____
David & Natalia
УЛ. КОНЕНКОВА
16th World Spacemodeling Championships

[ConnerVT]

dwfunk, you are absolutely correct.  But it is also correct that many of those employed at local Social Security offices don't know this, and will stubbornly refuse to look at their own documents and notices that support your statement.

It is never a bad thing to seek the path of least resistance, and fully document things in a complete and understandable manner.  An EAD stamp on a I-94 is understood by even the dimmest Federal employee...