Washington Dulles Airport

✅ Trip Verified | No gripes about Dulles Airport IAD per se - it is clean, well-lit, w/ good signage, the lounge space is a bit tight, but it works out - the shops and food purveyors are limping due to covid, so that is why they get marked down - this is no reflection on the airport, staff, or concessions. My gripe is about CBP agents. In a word they are arrogant. This is a bad reflection on our entire country for international arrivals. Personally, I used to go thru' IAD at least once a month, often more. Now only occasionally due to covid, and I can report that the CBP agents have had a chip on their shoulder for a long time - once I get pulled aside and sequestered for a random check (they found nothing), and the guy was offensively arrogant and rude. Two days ago I landed after 24+ hours flying and the CBP agent that took my GOES slip was just obnoxious. I am still angry that I was treated that way. His entire demeanor and his body language were overbearing and rude and arrogant. I don't know what it would take for the agents to offer a simple "good day, welcome to the USA" or similar pleasant greeting. How about a smile? I know that are in law enforcement, but do not treat us like criminals. If you have to exert your little "power trip" over passengers, perhaps a good psychotherapist can help, or why not better training - or just find another line of work. Anyway, I have figured out this reflects the CBP culture at IAD. My final comment is that the arriving traveler should get a pleasant greeting and a smile instead of a gruff, antagonistic "gimme that slip".

Not Verified | Although luggage delivery has been much improved over the years - and not surprisingly was very quick for the lightly used flight I was on (UA107 from Munich had 35ish passengers in the 787), CBP continues to perform poorly! It took me (US citizen) almost 90 minutes to clear immigration. There were at most 5 booths manned and for what felt like 20 minutes zero booths were staffed. Especially when comparing the immigration line to the efficient process of German passport control for citizens of the EU, one feels like a felon returning to a third world country: standing around waiting for the whims of uniformed personnel that stand around behind the booths chatting or staring at their monitor while not processing travellers. No urgency, no accountability, no interest!

✅ Trip Verified | “A third world hellhole” as a news outlet called Dulles is an accurate description. It is filthy. The employees resent travelers, many don’t speak English. TSA are utterly incompetent with jaded attitudes. I will pay a lot of money and waste a lot of time in the future to avoid them like the plague. An embarrassment to America.

Not Verified | Dulles is a horrible airport! It is amazing to me that in one of the busiest regions in the Nation nothing has been done at this airport to address the remarkable and ridiculous sprawl, the unreal security lines for domestic travel, the terrible, inefficient busing system, the terrible service, and the totally inadequate train system. This airport is a national embarrassment!

✅ Trip Verified | Traveling through Dulles now the past couple of years, as it is my primary international airport in Washington, has been pretty consistent. On average it takes me under an hour from check in to the gate, and under an hour on return from immigration to the arrivals curb outside. The TSA officers are efficient on departure, and the return of Mobile Passport is a godsend for immigration on returns. The main problems basically were the management of the mobile passport and Global Entry lines at immigration and of course the dreaded mobile lounges one has to take to immigration. But overall Dulles gets the job done.

Not Verified | Simply appalling. Arrived about 9pm ex LHR, 3 officers on the international side initially, reduced to 2 part way through. We were there at least 1.5 hours and we were at the front of the line off our plane. Those behind must have been there at least 2.5 hrs. US public infrastructure is so often very poor. Pick another spot to enter if possible.

Not Verified | I was coming back from my mother's funeral in Europe. The emigration officer was very kind to me and expressed his sympathy. Unfortunately, the baggage control officer behaved quite opposite. He treated me as a smuggler or someone like that. Took me to the side to check my luggage, flipping over all my clothes. Zero compassion, zero kindness. As a religious minister I serve the country for 20 years but yesterday I was treated like an enemy.

Not Verified | Took 2 hours to get through passport control on a Sunday evening, when there were just 5 or 6 immigration officers on duty. Some of them just sat around chatting amongst themselves, then disappeared. Ridiculously under-staffed considering there were well over 1000 passengers in the arrivals hall, which was poorly managed, with little or no organisation. Two elderly ladies in wheelchairs had apparently just been abandoned by airport staff in the queue, with no-staff available to assist them to actually reach the immigration desks. If you’re flying into the US, suggest you plan to land elsewhere.

Not Verified | Terrible experience at Passport Control. Insane that this problem has been going on for months (read other reviews) with no improvement. I got through in an hour because the kid managing the line made a mistake and put me through with the diplomats. Others waited for 2-3 hours. Part of the issue is the constant stream of airline personnel (pilots, attendants) being ushered to the head of the line. We'd see one crew take 20 minutes to finish, then here came another crew. As other reviewers have said, there were empty seats for more customs agents. Those agents that were there couldn't have cared less. I can't blame them. If management isn't working, why should they? I gotta find another airport for international travel.

Not Verified | Horrible experience at passport control. 2 booths were open for most of the time. Waited almost 3 hours to get through. Staff were indifferent. I was embarrassed to be an American by the lack of respect for everyone’s time.