Travelling Dehli > London > Phoenix > Santa Barbara. Is 2 hour layover in Phoenix enough?
I have booked a flight from DEL to London to Phoenix to SBA. There is a 2-hour layover time in Phoenix. I will be traveling in late July and will arrive at Phoenix at around 12:30 hours. I have a J1 visa. I have two questions:
- Will the security clearance and immigration take place at the Phoenix Airport? Or will it take place at the Santa Barbara Airport?
- Will 2-hour layover at Phoenix airport be enough? If not what is the recommended layover time?
Best Answer
Travelers passing into or through the United States go through US Immigration and Customs at the first US airport; for your itinerary, this will occur in Phoenix. (Some US-bound travelers will go through USA Immigration and Customs in the departure airport, provided the US CBP maintains Preclearance facilities in those departing airports. Londons' airports do not have Preclearance facilities, so this exception does not apply to you.)
Without knowing more about your itinerary (see my Comment, above), we can't answer your question about time sufficiency in Phoenix.
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How much time do you need between connecting flights?
Consider allowing at least 60 to 90 minutes for a U.S. domestic connection, and at least two hours for an international connection. Airlines usually allow you four hours or more maximum connecting time.Is an hour layover enough time in Phoenix?
You'll be fine. Domestic connections can be made in little as 40 minutes at PHX as long as you stay within the same terminal. International connections can be made in about an hour and a half. Add 1 hour to both scenarios if a terminal change is necessary.Is 2 hour layover enough for international flight?
International flights require longer connections as you will often have to go through immigration and customs upon arrival. For international layover flights booked on one airline, two hours is often recommended to make your connection.How long of a layover do I need in Phoenix?
Re: Phoenix Airport - how much time to allow for a layover? Airlines set the minimum layover, not you or I or any other traveler. If Southwest is giving you 45 minutes, then that will be enough time. Otherwise you would not be able to book on the same airline.REVIEW | British Airways | Phoenix (PHX) - London (LHR) | Boeing 777-200ER | Economy
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Answer 2
Will the security clearance and immigration take place at the Phoenix Airport? Or will it take place at the Santa Barbara Airport?
At the first USA airport you will do immigration, collect your luggage, take it through customs and drop it off again then go through security.
Will 2-hour layover at Phoenix airport be enough? If not what is the recommended layover time?
That should be enough but check the CBP Airport Wait Times page to make sure. I presume you are on a single ticket (on BA/AA, most likely).
If you are on two tickets, my rule of thumb for transatlantic unprotected connections is to calculate with being on the next LHR-PHX flight I can catch. This often means booking a hotel for a night at the layover airport (PHX in this case) and taking the flight the next day. Either that or be ready to book a potentially expensive last minute ticket. This is just how I operate, others might find different levels risk acceptable. It also depends on how much of a rush you are in. All in all, doing two hours with a unprotected connection is only recommended for those cool as a cucumber people who are absolutely not stressed by missing a flight. Otherwise you will spend the entire DEL-LHR-PHX worrying about making your last leg... Again, if you have a single ticket then no worries, if you miss your flight because one of the incoming legs were late, then fixing the situation and getting you to the destination (and getting a hotel potentially) is totally on the airline.
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