Brussels Airport & USA passport control

Global Entry is a US process that only exists in the US upon entry. Belgium is responsible for passport control within its borders, as is every other country. Safe travels.

In spite of the misleading name, global entry only works on entry to the United States. Brussels is not a USA pre-clearance airport

The there’s no advantage or disadvantage connecting through Brussels in terms of coming home. The only airport where you can pre-clear US immigration in the EU is Dublin.

Good answers. I have been to BRU a few times. It always seemed to me that United had the gates farthest from the terminal building, and that the "All Other Passports" line was always long and slow-moving.

You may be confusing the tiny number of airports (like Shannon, Ireland) that have pre-clearance for (ALL US citizens) flights to the USA. That is quite rare, so your Global Entry would be applicable only on your stepping off the plane in the USA.

I used to avoid two-segment flights, but particularly in the case of Lufthansa/United (Star Alliance partners), I often found that it saved money and time over getting from a minor airport to the hub that goes direct to the NYC area. Of course your personal situation would determine how well that works for you. I know all the arguments about how you can be sorry you have a stopover. But in one case, an airport worker strike in Paris, it happened to get me out of Paris and off to a Lufthansa hub in Germany (yes, the 'wrong way") that had on-time departures to the USA.

It is important to buy two-segment flights as a single-ticket purchase. Of course there are two boarding passes, but you want to make sure that you are, one way or another, checked in at least three-hours before the flight to the USA. That's because the AIRLINE has a legal duty to send your personal data to the US a certain number of hours before your flight lands.

Have you read our host's hints on air travel?
https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/transportation

US Global Entry does work for US pre-entry clearance going thru Dublin and Shannon airports. It’s not available for Brussels.

Thanks everyone. There are a few choices for my connections back to USA.
I know now to choose Dublin(one option) or NYC.
Someone mentioned booking one way flights. This definitely increases my costs, round trip to Europe is definitely a cost savings. In the states I always try to book one way as the cost is in line with round trip.

Do not book one way flights for international trips. You would want to book multi-city for different arrival and departure destinations.

Just read about something called Fast Lane at the Brussels Airport https://getfastlane.brusselsairport.be/en

I have had no experience with it and can’t say if it’s worth it ($12.50/departure) but I’m considering getting it for my trip to Brussels in November, because the most stressful part of any trip for me is getting through the security line!

I definitely recommend Mobile Passport Control for re-entry to the US. It’s a free app that sometimes gets you through the line faster than Global Entry. The link will show whether your airport has it.
https://www.cbp.gov/travel/us-citizens/mobile-passport-control

Do not book one way flights for international trips. You would want to
book multi-city for different arrival and departure destinations.

@KD, Why not book two one way flights? What do you see as the cons?

Two one-way flights are almost always more expensive than round trip or multi-city.