Immigration queues & car hire ?

[Wills Mom]

We fly out of LGW on Aug 23rd at 11.20 GMT, arrive in MCO at 15.35 EST. Flight is with BA, never flown with them before, used VA twice and both times queues for Immigration were 2 hours long (even though the second time we all but ran off the plane!) and the queues for car hire after that were about an hour! I have two questions I'd love some help with:

1. Just wondering what are our odds of hitting massive queues again this time? Anything we can do to help avoid queues?

2. We hired our car through Expedia with Alamo. Do we need to go to the desk or is there a way to bypass that?

TIA

 

[Elise79]

The immigration queue will all depend on what order the flights land that day and there is nothing you can do to help that. You have the VS74 from MAN, VS27 from LGW and the BA flight all due in to land within an hour. That is over 1000 people that need to be processed by immigration. If you are lucky you will get through quickish but it is all luck - we have come in just before the BA flight before and the captain warned us not to hang around on the plane!!

As for Alamo I know you can do save time if you book direct but I am not sure about 3rd party bookings. It is one of my prime reasons that I try to use a company that has a express membership scheme even paying a little more in the process sometimes as its just so much easier getting out of the airport!

 

[wayneg]

As Tracy says, not a lot you can do about immigration.

As for car I believe Alamo's official line is 3rd party bookings cannot use Fast track but I did a couple of times last year so you would just have to try.

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

We flew in on Wednesday from Manchester and the queue took more than a hour to get through. The Gatwick plane landed after us and the hall was packed.


Our car was with Alamo booked through a 3rd party and we did skip the line which was great as we just walked over to the garage, picked a car and went!

 

[LoodlesNoodles]

Ugh immigration queues are awful.
I don't know if it was just because of a trial and possibly more widely used now or we just lucked out on timing but my friend and i got to use the machines last march as we had visited within the past 5 years.
My friend's went through fine and was through within 10 minutes. Mine couldn't figure me out (i think i forgot to take my glasses off) and took a little longer as i had to merge into the queue at a later point but i was still through within 20 minutes.

 

[edinburghlass]

When we went through MCO on that BA flight in May, yes the queue was back up the slope into the main hall but the sign at the bottom of the slope guided USA people and those using the fast track machines to the left. Everyone was ignoring this notice and heading into the hall on the right hand side. We went to the left and got right through to the front and were using a fast track machine in about five minutes.

When the people in the main queues saw we had UK passports in our hand they started asking about using the machines but goodness knows how long they had stood in the queues for. So be aware of what the signs say and ask the person by the sign which way to go. I think you can use the fast track machine if you have been to the USA since 2007 but the sign will tell you.

As far as I remember it used to be USA to the right and others to the left?

 

[Wills Mom]

Thanks all SO much for your help!! Much appreciated!

Just on the topic of the Fast Track machines - we have been either every year or every second year since 2007 so if the queue for Fast Track is smaller than the usually massive immigration queue can we just pop over to the FT machines?

And re: car rental - if we go straight to the garage and give them our details they MIGHT let us just take a car and go but they just as easily might send us back to the desk - am I right?

 

[wayneg]

You will have to do online check in https://www.alamo.com/en_US/car-rental/checkin.html
If you just go straight to the garage without it you will be sent back.

Last year we couldn't use the immigration FT kiosks, they were sending everyone down one way then taking people from the front to use them so didn't speed anything up.

 

[strawberry blonde]

We used Alamo in April and booked via Netflights. I did savetime and online checkin and then printed off the barcode. I was tempted to go straight to the garage which we do when we book via Alamo Brits but thought we'd better queue for the desk this time.

An Alamo employee was checking the people in line and as soon as he noticed the barcode on the paperwork I was holding, he said we should go straight to the garage.

 

[Jon84]

I usually book Dollar through USRentaCar, I ask them to put my Express ID on the booking, and I also email Dollar Customer Services the details.

You just walk direct to the garage then too. Very good service

 

[BagOLaughs]

Ugh immigration queues are awful.
I don't know if it was just because of a trial and possibly more widely used now or we just lucked out on timing but my friend and i got to use the machines last march as we had visited within the past 5 years.
My friend's went through fine and was through within 10 minutes. Mine couldn't figure me out (i think i forgot to take my glasses off) and took a little longer as i had to merge into the queue at a later point but i was still through within 20 minutes.

When we went through MCO on that BA flight in May, yes the queue was back up the slope into the main hall but the sign at the bottom of the slope guided USA people and those using the fast track machines to the left. Everyone was ignoring this notice and heading into the hall on the right hand side. We went to the left and got right through to the front and were using a fast track machine in about five minutes.

I had no idea about this. Does that mean with newer passports there are self serve machine that you can go though?

I'm assuming this is only with the newer chipped passports?

 

[Jon84]

I had no idea about this. Does that mean with newer passports there are self serve machine that you can go though?

I'm assuming this is only with the newer chipped passports?

I believe so yes.

We tried it in April, having last been in December it should have worked. The system had a hissy fit put crosses through the photos, meaning it didnt work properly.

 

[BagOLaughs]

We tried it in April, having last been in December it should have worked. The system had a hissy fit put crosses through the photos, meaning it didnt work properly

Dang, what did you have to do? Did they make you queue up from the start?

Sorry to hijack this thread (i'm still almost on topic) but the reason I'm asking this is because I still have an old passport and was contemplating updating it before we go (it runs out in April next year) The passport website says it will allow you to update your passport up to 9 months before expiry date.

If it saves me time in the god awful immigration queue I'm definitely going to upgrade before i go.

 

[Jon84]

Dang, what did you have to do? Did they make you queue up from the start?

Sorry to hijack this thread (i'm still almost on topic) but the reason I'm asking this is because I still have an old passport and was contemplating updating it before we go (it runs out in April next year) The passport website says it will allow you to update your passport up to 9 months before expiry date.

If it saves me time in the god awful immigration queue I'm definitely going to upgrade before i go.

It's not like at home where you pass straight through the gate, you still have to see someone, so we all had to see someone, but they had to do the usual stuff.

As far as I know, it would save you time on the second trip. They asked us if we had used these passports within 2 years to be able to use it

 

[BagOLaughs]

It's not like at home where you pass straight through the gate, you still have to see someone, so we all had to see someone, but they had to do the usual stuff.

As far as I know, it would save you time on the second trip. They asked us if we had used these passports within 2 years to be able to use it

Ah I see, thats a shame. Thanks for the reply!

I think i will upgrade my passport anyway just so i can have a stamp in it almost immediately. I don't want a naked passport for a year or so after I renew.

 

[edinburghlass]

Both our passports are chipped passports and we had both used the fast track machines last year but all I can reiterate is ASK at the end of the queue and the person there will put you right. I can't tell you how good it felt to walk round the side of the huge queue to the front!

Funny someone getting crosses in the photos as the machine took my photo as I was taking my glasses off but it allowed the photo rather than make me take it again. You then go from the machines to much shorter queues where the immigration folk check the details etc, he laughed at my photo.

 

[cliveywolves]

Both our passports are chipped passports and we had both used the fast track machines last year but all I can reiterate is ASK at the end of the queue and the person there will put you right. I can't tell you how good it felt to walk round the side of the huge queue to the front!

Funny someone getting crosses in the photos as the machine took my photo as I was taking my glasses off but it allowed the photo rather than make me take it again. You then go from the machines to much shorter queues where the immigration folk check the details etc, he laughed at my photo.

Sounds promising.. Are they allowing children to use the fast track passport system as we all have the latest style passports now ??

 

[Tash87]

My family will all have new passports but would obviously not of used them before, does that mean that we wouldn't be able to use the machines?

 

[Jon84]

My family will all have new passports but would obviously not of used them before, does that mean that we wouldn't be able to use the machines?

You have to have been through using that passport before as far as I know.

The trick is usually being one of the first 50 people off the plane!

 

[BagOLaughs]

ASK at the end of the queue

Good tip, its always best to ask. However without reading this thread I had no idea that there was even a possibility of using the machines.