Connection advice at SFO -intl to domestic

[southwestgal]

Need advice from experienced folks for an international to domestic connection at San Francisco international airport. Arriving on an SAS nonstop flight from Copenhagen scheduled to arrive at 2:45pm on a Friday afternoon in June. We are flying premium economy and we are both applying this week for global entry. There are two of us and we will each have one checked bag.

 

Is a 5:50 pm connection to Southwest airlines reasonable? Bags need to be checked no later than 5:05pm. I'm hoping that 2 hours is enough time with global entry to get through customs and immigration and recheck the bags. If not, then our other option is 9:50pm and that one shouldn't be an issue. Other than I dread having a 7 hour connection time.

 

My definition of reasonable is that, unless there are extenuating circumstances, a person walking briskly and not dilly dallying should expect that the connection time is doable and has a few minutes of extra wiggle room.

 

Thank you!

[Zach1213]

Definitely reasonable IF the SAS flight is on time. The issue is that, if it's not, and you miss your Southwest flight, you'll have to buy a new, last minute "walk up" fare. Southwest tends to charge very, very high walk up fares - take a look at the "Anytime" tickets on Southwest Airlines website, and that's what you'll likely be paying, if not more, for that walk up fare.

[southwestgal]

Thanks! That is an excellent point. I checked and it looks like the highest fare is $200 more per person than I will be paying. As long as I cancel 10 minutes prior to the flight I can apply the money I paid on the original flight against the new flight. So we should be out of pocket an additional $400 if we miss the earlier flight. I can live with that.

 

That's one of the reasons I fly southwest. Any other airline would have cancellation fees and change fees and you wouldn't be left with anything.

 

Thanks again for your insight! I never thought of that situation at all.

[Zach1213]

Thanks! That is an excellent point. I checked and it looks like the highest fare is $200 more per person than I will be paying. As long as I cancel 10 minutes prior to the flight I can apply the money I paid on the original flight against the new flight. So we should be out of pocket an additional $400 if we miss the earlier flight. I can live with that.

 

That's one of the reasons I fly southwest. Any other airline would have cancellation fees and change fees and you wouldn't be left with anything.

 

Thanks again for your insight! I never thought of that situation at all.

 

Also, just to clarify, you will need to do an interview for Global Entry. It's one thing to apply, but it's another thing to schedule and go to an interview. If you don't live in a city that has an interview center, it can be a bit of a pain. I had to get to Dallas to do mine, and even then it took a couple of months to find a time that worked with a layover I had at DFW. Some centers are better than others. If you live in a place with an interview center, that makes things a lot easier...but depending on how busy they are, it can still take a bit of time to get an interview.

 

Just wanted to clarify that it's not just an application that's required for GE.

[southwestgal]

Yes, I knew about the interview and we're lucky that our airport has an interview center. It's only about 20 minutes away so very convenient. I'm applying about 5 months before I need it so hopefully that's enough time. How long did it take after your interview to get approved?

[Chairsin]

Our interview took place Less than two weeks after I submitted the completed application. The hardest part of the application was trying to remember all of the countries we have visited ( turned out to be about 70). The interviews took less than ten minutes. Walked out with our a Global Entry numbers ready to go.

[Keith1010]

Don't wait to apply. Do it sooner rather than later.

 

The wait times for the interviews vary based on demand and availability. We were unable to get an interview at our local airport and had to schedule it at another one.

 

Also if it is two of you the way the system is set up you may or may not be able to get them for the same day.

 

There is no need to wait. It is good for five years.

 

Once you have the interview you will know on the spot whether or not you are approved and you will receive the cards (you don't actually use the card when you arrive to the airport but you can at other places such as arriving back from a cruise where they are in place) you then go back to the web site to register the numbers.

 

Again don't wait and this is one where experience doesn't matter as the wait time for the interview can vary.

 

Keith

[southwestgal]

Thanks for all the replies. We applied last night. We did spend some time trying to come up with the list of countries visited. You were right - that was the most challenging part of the application. I'll keep checking the site now for the next step which is to get the appointment.

 

I'm always looking for ways to make air travel less painful. I'm just sorry I waited so long to take advantage of this program. So happy this includes PreTSA!

[Zach1213]

Yes, I knew about the interview and we're lucky that our airport has an interview center. It's only about 20 minutes away so very convenient. I'm applying about 5 months before I need it so hopefully that's enough time. How long did it take after your interview to get approved?

 

It actually took about 2-3 weeks before I got approved and thus could schedule an interview. Then it took a few months to find a slot that I could be at in another state. Then even that required me getting standby on an earlier flight to Dallas. It was a pain! But lucky for you that you have an interview center so close.

[Keith1010]

Thanks for all the replies. We applied last night. We did spend some time trying to come up with the list of countries visited. You were right - that was the most challenging part of the application. I'll keep checking the site now for the next step which is to get the appointment.

 

I'm always looking for ways to make air travel less painful. I'm just sorry I waited so long to take advantage of this program. So happy this includes PreTSA!

 

The time to get interim approval varies. Ours was very quick. The e mail you will receive could end up in your span folder which ours did. You can also check on status on line. I would say we were approved in a week.

 

Once approved you have 30 days to schedule an interview. That's to schedule not to attend. It's not the greatest system. You have no choices in most cases.

 

The actual interviews are scheduled in fifteen minute intervals. Most of the interview was not an interview and involved running the passport through the system, taking fingerprints and photos. Thankfully we only had 5 years of countries to list which was long enough in our case.

 

Keith

[Zach1213]

The time to get interim approval varies. Ours was very quick. The e mail you will receive could end up in your span folder which ours did. You can also check on status on line. I would say we were approved in a week.

 

Once approved you have 30 days to schedule an interview. That's to schedule not to attend. It's not the greatest system. You have no choices in most cases.

 

The actual interviews are scheduled in fifteen minute intervals. Most of the interview was not an interview and involved running the passport through the system, taking fingerprints and photos. Thankfully we only had 5 years of countries to list which was long enough in our case.

 

Keith

 

My interview was ridiculously easy. He just asked if I still worked where I said I did, did my fingerprints, and boom. I think he was ready to leave for the day. Never showed me how to use the machine or anything...not that it's hard.

[Chairsin]

I must admit the first time I used the GE machine I was not quite sure what to do. Thankfully I did not end up holding up the line as a very nice fellow passenger quickly showed me what to do.So as you mentioned I do think taking a minute at the interview to walk the applicant through the procedure would be quite helpful.

[slidergirl]

I'll just throw out a couple of potential "gotcha" things:

 

1. Having Global Entry does NOT guarantee PreCheck every time. It just enhances the probability of selection. You could be in for a rude awakening if you think you will have it and you have to spend the extra 30 minutes in the cattle chute at TSA.

 

2. You will have to collect your bags from SAS and haul them to the WN terminal (Terminal 1) to do the baggage check. WN doesn't interline with anyone, so no automatic baggage transfer after you clear Immigration and Customs. Be sure to have the necessary time to go through this. I've never done WN at SFO (I avoid WN like the plague), so I cannot comment on how much time you will need for this. The very, very few times I've had no choice but to fly WN, I had to wait up to 30 minutes in line at LAX to check my bag.

[southwestgal]

Quick update - less than 24 hours after applying for Global Entry we received notification that we are conditionally approved and to make an appt for the interview. The first spots available are during the first week of February and we grabbed two. They're on separate days but that isn't an issue for us.

 

Thanks for those gotcha items. I've gotten the PreTSA on my boarding passes before even without paying for it so it would sure be a bummer not to get it with global entry. I knew that I would have to check my bags in with southwest manually so I'm trying to figure that into the time needed for the connection. In spite of that I still like to fly southwest. I didn't think about the time needed to change terminals. It looks like we can walk from g to 1 in about 10 minutes and I'll add that to my calculations. Thanks for the heads up.

[PaulMCO]

You will get a GE number. Make sure its in your reservation with SW and also in all your airline profiles. This will allow automatic TSAPre.

I fly pretty exclusively with UA. 100% hit rate with TSA.

[slidergirl]

You will get a GE number. Make sure its in your reservation with SW and also in all your airline profiles. This will allow automatic TSAPre.

I fly pretty exclusively with UA. 100% hit rate with TSA.

 

Lucky you! I've had my GE number since they started. I'm not 100% with my "home" airline (but close), and I'm about 50-50 on the rare times I've had to fly AA/UA because my home airline didn't serve where I was going.

 

I just want people to be aware that it really isn't an automatic, but it is high probability. It is not a nice feeling when you assume you will get PreCheck and factor that into your timing for connections and end up having to go through the regular line. Also, at some airports, the PreCheck lines can be as long as the normal ones, so it doesn't necessarily mean a faster check. You just get to keep your shoes on, your 3-1-1 bag in your carryon, and you don't have to step into a nude-o-scope (just the magnetometer)...

[Novastar]

I've had GE for about 2 years and get precheck about 50% of the time when flying WN.

 

Also keep in mind that your flight is not until June. At that time the "anytime" fare is likely to be much higher than the fare being shown now.

[TruckerDave]

{knocking on my wood desk as I type this} But I have had 100% precheck on both UA and AA since I got mine.

[TruckerDave]

My interview was ridiculously easy. He just asked if I still worked where I said I did, did my fingerprints, and boom. I think he was ready to leave for the day. Never showed me how to use the machine or anything...not that it's hard.

 

The agents at my interview at IAH were not the most friendly. They just made us watch a video on how to use it. Took our finger prints and some other info. Whole thing lasted about 10 min tops and walked out with my trusted traveler number. I think it took me longer to walk from the parking garage to the interview site that the actual interview took.