Do You Anticipate Longer Customs/Immigration Wait Times in the Future?

Do you have Global Entry?

Will you be carry on only?

Will you be in the Business class section of the plane which will allow you to deplane faster?

Pam, global entry, yes. Carry-on only, probably not. Business class, no, but close to the front in the comfort class. My guess is that since you are asking the questions, the longer layover makes more sense.

It rarely takes me more than 5 minutes and never more than 10 minutes with global entry, the global entry kiosk takes my picture proceed directly to where the immigration official says "welcome back."
Business class and carry on complete my speedy transition out the airport. So if one is able to have all three,wonderful.
But global entry is the most important for avoiding lines and waiting in lines .

I haven't come back in thru Atlanta since 2022 but I came back thru SLC last October and I was shocked at how quick it was (with GE/carryon/Delta One). Of course that was before layoffs but it was astonishingly quick.

I am uncertain what I would do.

I've got European trips in July and October, both coming back in thru Seattle. One is with just under 2 hours transit time and the other is about 3 hours transit time. In both cases there are multiple flights back to Spokane after the flight Im booked on so I know I will get home.

Since layoffs have just begun, I don’t think anyone is going to be able to answer your questions with any certainty. We are in wait and see mode.

Time will tell, but if you randomly reduce the number of people working with no logic or strategy, then yes, wait times will increase, both for immigration and for security once you re-check your bag.

Of course that also depends on the volume of travelers, both overall, and in scheduling arrivals by the airlines at a specific airport. If airlines are able to pace the arrivals and avoid a bottleneck at immigration, then the impact can be reduced. That is actually why I like arriving at ATL, MSP, or DTW, since most all flights are Delta, they seem to stagger arrivals out fairly well.

If other forces (economy mainly) push overall volumes one way or the other, that is harder to tell ahead, but you will have a better sense closer to your trip. If you have doubts within a few weeks of the trip, check on changing, we have been surprised (with Delta anyway) that they have let us change departures by hours to a day or two at no cost.

https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2025/02/rif-watch-see-which-agencies-are-laying-federal-workers/403342/%3Foref=ge-mini-feed

Nope. Not yet. And I dont think the Global Entry Kiosks are going to get laid off. But maybe. Who knows, I guess.

OK, you’re coming back to Atlanta. The border patrol people here have a system for dealing with things they don’t like. It’s called work slow down

if they think they’re understaffed or not being appreciated they slow down so I would assume that they may not like the fact that they’re being threatened with layoffs and decide to put that in action be prepared With global entry if you have a hard card, take it with you. Because we like to do things like unplug the kiosk and then if you don’t have the card, you have to get in the regular line

I live here or I’d come back through some other city.

Global entry involves limited staffing anyway. I don’t anticipate changes in entry times.

"With global entry if you have a hard card, take it with you."

Good advice, Carol.

Makes no difference as SFO or OAK is my return airport for Immigration anyway on a non-stop flight from Europe. If there were a lay-over involved, then I would take the 4 hour option.

I'm with Fred on this one. I prefer flying straight to Europe. Obviously there might be extra lines for that non stop flight to Europe too at the SFO Int'l terminal, so the 3 hour they recommend may require 1/2 hour more. Although I don't think that DHS and its agencies are going to be affected by layoffs. Border security seems to come first for this administration. But if you can, try to avoid a layover anywhere in the US.

I would ask myself this question. Would I rather be a little bored and have some time to kill, or would I rather be stressed out and worried about making a connection? Just food for thought.

Thanks to all for their responses.

I originally booked the four-hour layover, switched to the two-hour layover, and just went back to the four-hour layover.

Friends, I wish I could fly nonstop, but it is not an option. At this time, I still have Delta Sky miles to use, and Delta has no direct flights to Europe from New Orleans.

There is so much dust in the air it is hard (impossible?) to see clearly.

If the cuts to US ICE agents is proportional to the cuts to air traffic control, the processing time should remain unchanged, as there will be fewer flights, and therefore fewer passengers, to process.

If you were to have chosen the 2 hr layover, how many more flights are there to NOLA that day?

The choice between the 2 hr vs. 4 hr layover is one dictated by your personal stress tolerance. There is no 'wrong' choice.

Happy travels.

To borrow a line from an old AMEX commercial. "TUMS, don't leave home without them"