USA/New York immigration - long queues?!

[londoncitymum]

Am Travelling alone To NYC (Newark) with my 7mo DS on Saturday and someone scared me saying They flew into NYC This week and stood in line for 1.5 Hours once They got off Their flight. Does anyone know or Has anyone Had experience with being bumped To The front of The line if you are with a small baby?

P.S. excuse random CAPITALS, my keyboard is playing up!

You can wait some considerable time at US immigration before you are processed. It depends on a number of things; number of pax in front of you, the time of day and how many flights have disembarked at the same time as yours. Newark is not too bad as far as US airports go, they have quite a large immigration hall and seem to have a lot of officers working so the line can move quite quickly.

I do not think anyone will move you to the front of the line if you are a few rows back from the start of it. Staff tend to direct passengers to the nearest available booth when you are at the head of the line.

We waited for a long time too. Once at New York the nappy fell of my dd as we talked to immigration because we had been waiting for so long!

There is no going to the front in any line because of having a baby in any airport I have been to!

We always take a sling in hand luggage that you can put baby in. In Orlando internationAl we once waited 2 hours as a few flights came in at the same time due to delays. Even last year I packed a ring sling
www.littlepossums.co.uk/slings/ring-slings.htm and used it for my 3 year old.

You can't tell how long it will take - depends on no of international flights coming in, so the same airport can take 15 min or 1.5 hours over the course of a day. I've also waited for an hour to go through customs.
And I've never seen anyone with children get moved up the queue, sorry.

Thanks for all your replies everyone! If only they treated everyone with babies like they treat first class passengers ;)!

Am packing a sling but DS can get very impatient in it especially when tired (we land at his UK bedtime!)

My only advice would be try get off the plane sooner rather than later. Not easy with kids I know.
Try get yourself in the queue as quick as poss.
I arrived at Orlando last year very late at night and it took 2 hours to get through passport control.
Not pleasant with tired kids.

we have just returned from New York. We landed at Newark and did not have a problem. They keep the queues moving and in order. Unfortunately we got the only miserable and dour one in the airport and it took us longer than most queues, but this was measured in minutes rather than hours. We have been to the states a few times and never waited for 1 1/2 hours.

They don't speed First class passenger's through immigration either, just they might be let off the plane earlier so get closer to the head of the queue. I was sped through once, but only as the baby started to scream and everyone wanted rid of us.