Houston customs question

[zoncom]

  Coming back International  from Amsterdam on UA; UA just  shortened the time to 2 hours between flites for Aspen connection early June.                                Recently in Chicago customs lines 23/4 hrs. If we cannot get thru Houston customs in time and miss flite is UA responsible for getting us on next Aspen leg? We are Platinum.

[FlyerTalker]

15 minutes ago, zoncom said:

  Coming back International  from Amsterdam on UA; UA just  shortened the time to 2 hours between flites for Aspen connection early June.                                Recently in Chicago customs lines 23/4 hrs. If we cannot get thru Houston customs in time and miss flite is UA responsible for getting us on next Aspen leg? We are Platinum.

 

You are never guaranteed a seat on the next flight.  You will be reaccommodated on the next flight that has available seats, and other people will not be bumped to put you on board.

 

 

[fbgd]

Immigration = determines who can enter the country.

Customs = seizure of prohibited items and payable of any duty on applicable items

 

Platinum, I'm assuming United Premier Platinum status doesn't help you with immigration or customs. If you are on one ticket then you'll be put on the next available flight with seats. Premier Platinum status will certainly put you higher up the list but as a mid tier level with Global Services and 1Ks above you (of which United seem to have oodles, and you're flying from a hub) will take priority over you.

 

ORD does seem to suffer with longer immigration lines than most airports, but why not register for Global Entry or Mobile Passport if you're eligible?

[CruiserBruce]

Agree...getting signed up for Global Entry would be wise. Also agree, knowing Immigration vs Customs is important. Immigration (without Global Entry) can take considerable time. Customs usually takes much less. With Global Entry, both Immigration and Customs takes very little time.

 

 

[em-sk]

17 hours ago, zoncom said:

  Coming back International  from Amsterdam on UA; UA just  shortened the time to 2 hours between flites for Aspen connection early June.                                Recently in Chicago customs lines 23/4 hrs. If we cannot get thru Houston customs in time and miss flite is UA responsible for getting us on next Aspen leg? We are Platinum.

 

The biggest factor for you is if your a US national or not.   I know they sometimes feed us Canadians into the same lines as US nationals even if the signage does not indicate that.    

 

Where the Platinum status helps is if you miss your connection and need to go on the standby list for a different flight.  Those standby lists are usually processed just before boarding and status helps.   As others have posted they are not going to bump someone off the flight that has a confirmed seat.

 

[6rugrats]

UA is not responsible for your delays in Passport Control/Customs.  Any airline status does not help you through those lines.  That said, if you miss your connection, you will be rebooked on the next flight with available seats to ASE, but be aware there are just a couple nonstops and not that many flights there even with connections.

 

Suggest if you do not have Global Entry, put Mobile Passport Control on your phone if you are eligible to use it:

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/mobile-passport-control#:~:text=Mobile Passport Control (MPC) allows eligible travelers to,passport control inspection time and overall wait time.

 

Those lines are usually much, much faster because most people have never hear of MPC.  And, keep in mind it's a long, long time until June.  It would be surprising if your schedule didn't change again before then.