Do you consider it rude if I....

Suck it up and stay with her.

Meet her on the other side. She will understand.

I'd decide based on the travel experience of your friend. If this is her first time through immigration, maybe I'd stay with her as it can be a little intimidating. If she's done immigration coming from somewhere other than Europe and the line looks long when you're approaching, I'd use the Global Entry if she didn't care.

You'll be doing it at the end of the trip so it's probably not a big deal. See how you feel at the time. She may be sick of you and happy to have you go on ahead!

Stay with her. You're going to be waiting for her anyway, right? If you stay with her she has someone to talk to, and you can help guide her through the process. It might not be rude if you skip the line, but staying with her would be kind.

Meet her on the other side. It will be at the end of your trip and you will have just spent 8 hours sitting together. If you are checking luggage, you can watch for hers on the baggage carousel.

ask, but if she says okay then go ahead and collect the luggage and scope out how to get out of customs. If you are arriving in Chicago she won't be that long behind unless she gets the dreaded X. I haven't, hubbie does all the time. so I breezed thru immigration. Global pass only gets you thru immigration fast, you still need to wait for luggage and go thru customs and onto other terminals.

For the pre-check part, offer to put things like her camera, cell phone, etc. in your carry-on..........as the less stuff to have screened in regular screening the better. Both my husband and I are Global Entry, but when he was randomly selected for the in-depth screening (as a previous poster referenced, the dreaded XXXs), I put the netbook, camera, cell phone, chargers/cords, etc. in my carry-on, so as to lighten his load (granted, not by much) which seems to make it easier.....and less for him to keep up with while disrobing (okay I exaggerate).

For going thru immigration, I could argue that by doing Global Entry you are shortening the line for those who do not have that access, but you could still wait in the immigration area for (or sort of with) your friend while she goes thru it, especially if she has never gone thru immigration before.

Before we had global entry, if one of us randomly got selected for pre-check and the other didn't, that person would go thru it (following our process above).

Her process will be what it will be, and anything you can do to shorten the wait of those who do not have Global Entry or to lighten her load, seems she would be thrilled. And, of course, being the considerate person you are, I'm sure you will help to make sure she has her form filled out correctly and passport ready to present, etc......and even those simple things can be confusing to someone who has not been thru it before.

Have a safe and fun trip. I'm sure your friend is thrilled to be traveling with a seasoned traveler who knows the ropes.

Agree with others who said to stay with your friend, especially since she has probably not experienced going through immigration. A somewhat similar situation happened last February when I was traveling with my daughter and 5 YO granddaughter to Hawaii. I had TSA precheck and they did not. Daughter said I should go ahead; I hesitated because didn't want to seperate from them. In the end, I did go ahead because she and little one did not have seats together. Told her I would go ahead and speak to the gate agent to try his magic to get seats together. Thankfully it worked out and the seats were found.

For your situation I would stay with your friend. It is the kind gesture and you would wait for her anyway.

Linda

Go ahead and get the luggage while she catches up.

Lisa,
As you can see, you've received opposing opinions.

My advice... Do what you think is right for you.

I'd wait with my friend, but that's just me.

Priscilla, by all standards of good manners your actions are correct.

Thanks James!

Stay with your friend.

And I'd go ahead to get the checked luggage, if there is any, because it will help you both get out of the airport sooner. If you're carry on only, stay with her.

If you both download the app Mobile Passport, and are arriving at a participating airport, you'll both breeze through as fast as with Global Entry. http://mobilepassport.us/

Also, we've used the computer entry that is available in many airports that was also as fast as Global Entry. Just go to the computer with her since she's never passed passport control before, and you'll both be through in minutes.

The one advantage Global Entry still has is for TSA pre-check guarantee, but for the rest, these others work as well.

This is one of the reasons I don't go for Global Entry, as I wouldn't use it all the time anyway. (The other is that I fly BA.) I would wait with my friend, especially if this is her first trip to Europe. I do think I would be a bit of a 'show off' as my parents would have said, if I went thru the fast line and left my friend in the long one by herself. And what is the point, as you'll have to wait anyway? Is time so valuable in this case? Basically, by going thru GE I'd be saying I'd rather wait alone then wait with you, my friend. But again, that's just me.

The principle reason for G Entry is to get your through US immigration quicker. But if you have to wait for your travel companion then what is the advantage except to stand around and wonder when is she going to show up. Ya, I think it would be rude. Stay with her. What else are you going to do?

Stay with her.

Bets writes "if you both download the app Mobile Passport, and are arriving at a participating airport, you'll both breeze "ias fast as with Global Entry. http://mobilepassport.us/"

Not sure I understand how this works, but I downloaded the ap. And I see it is being used in Chicago. Is there another lane marked? Then you need to scan your phone??? I understood you were not to use phones before going thru passport control. I'm a bit confused, but would like to try it next month.

I would try to put myself in the shoes of your friend. She would probably understand and not be mad at you for going, but I also think she would be really happy and appreciate it if you stuck it out with her. Also, if, unlike your friend, you envision yourself having the opportunity to take another trip, you will have another opportunity to use the global entry pass :)

The only person's opinion on this that truly matters is your friend. There are pros (getting the luggage) and cons (no one to wait in line with) with both options. If you discuss this openly with your friend and consider her feelings when making the decision, then there is no question of rudeness either way.

Hi Lisa, stick with your friend. Good traveling partners are hard to find (and keep!)

I would say at least if you are standing in line with her, you can chat. If you get thru really fast, then you just have to cool your heels on the other side. At least you can keep each other company - which usually makes the time go faster.

To crank up this ethical debate a notch, suppose at the airport one friend is offered a free upgrade to business class on a transatlantic flight, and the other is stuck in economy class. Would it be rude for one friend to accept the upgrade, fly business and leave the friend in steerage?

RE Michael Schneider's add on, I would not take the business upgrade. I would sit with my friend. If I were traveling with more than one friend, I might accept the upgrade as they would have each other for company. If traveling with my best friend, my husband, I still would not take the upgrade. The very few close friends I would choose to travel with are great company, so why wouldn't I stay with them. (However, I can think of only 2 besides my husband with whom I would even consider traveling, so this is not a huge issue for me.)

I think you should stay with your friend. I don't see any advantage to getting through quickly yourself and then having to wait for her. I think it's a little rude to think that, as a previous poster said, if she wanted to get through quickly she should have paid for GE, too. Lots of reasons why someone would not do so, particularly if they don't travel often. I can understand feeling like you are "wasting" the advantage of being able to use it, but what have you gained if you both end up waiting alone, on opposite sides of the entry?

I agree with others that say stay with your friend. I think it's rude not to.

Why is this considered an ethical hypothetical?

Because the New York Times says so Rose:

http://tinyurl.com/hze9278

Wow, I guess when I've traveled with friends we have been awfully rude to each other. On almost every international flight I've taken with a friend we have chosen not to sit together. To be fair, I usually travel with friends who are pretty well-traveled who also want an aisle seat. On an 18 hour flight to South Africa with a friend, we weren't seated anywhere near each other. I would have no problem if a friend chose to skip the line or upgrade to business class.

You'll be doing it at the end of the trip so it's probably not a big deal.

Best answer.

When departing US, you only need to consider the situation if your Global Entry lets you go through a TSA Pre line, and your friend does not. If she has gone through a TSA line before, there is nothing different this time. Besides, she may also be able to go through a TSA Pre line even without the Global Entry.

You will use Global Entry to bypass customs when returning to US, and your friend will have to go through customs. Again, if she has done that before, there is no big deal.

IOW, your concern has little to do with your friend's "first and probably only trip to Europe". It boils down your personal sense of etiquette.

I myself would used it.

You say your friend would understand if you asked her. Have you asked her if it was ok ?

The responses seem pretty mixed. I'm in camp "stay with her". It'll make the line go faster as you can chat with each other - and you're saying it's her first and only trip to Europe. Either way, you know your relationship better than any of us, so go with your gut.

Happy travels!

No! Use it, you have it and your friend doesn't. If it was an elderly parent or your spouse, that's different, a friend would understand.

I'd say, stay with her. This will be the tail end of your travels together, getting back through Customs can feel daunting, and it seems right to be together for moral support.

Hi Everyone and thanks so much for your answers, they are much appreciated. Being my mother's daughter, my gut instinct says to stay with her. She has been to Mexico so has had one experience with re-entering the US. I've known her since high school (a VERY long time!) so feel totally comfortable asking her and the idea to go and get the luggage is a good one. I'll be able to read her response and act accordingly. Your replies solidified what my original though was, so thanks.
Richard, I loved your comment about it being at the end of a trip and she might be tired of me! I often feel like that no matter how much I love being with someone, so she may feel the same!!
Bets, I'll have to check out your suggested app. I've not heard of it, thanks for the suggestion.
Again, thanks to all for taking time to share your opinions.

Hi,

It makes no difference to me whether I should stay or go ahead in terms of time saved being in line. In your case I would say... stay with her in the "regular" line. If I were going with a guy, I would go ahead, he could fend for himself.

Bets made a good point. If it's available at your airport, you should both use the app and see if you can get through together faster.

As her friend I would stay with her.