Philadelphia Int'l Airport Passenger Reviews and Philadelphia Airport Traveller Reports

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Philadelphia is the only airport I've traveled through and US Air is the only airline I've flown that requires passengers with connecting flights to go through security in between flights. The crowds were terrible and since we were already in danger of missing our connecting flight because of our first US Air flight being delayed, it was a very stressful situation. Had we been able to go from gate to gate without going through security again, we wouldn't have missed our flight.

The last time I flew out of this airport 6 months ago I waited on the runway for over 2 hours. Here I am 6 months later and I've been sitting on the runway for over 2 hours. Can't be a coincidence!

TSA at PHL: loud-mouthed staff yelling at passengers "Don't come forward till you're called!" (This, although they were not busy and yet telling you to keep moving). "There shouldn't be this gap in the line!" (You could barely fit one large person in that gap in the line). "Stand there! Arms up! Next one!" If you want to make the USA the least popular country in the world they are doing a great job. But if you want to do airport security right, try following the example at Ben Gurion airport. However if you just want to get up people's noses and have long queues, chaos and confusion, just carry on as you are.

Had a very tight connection after our flight from PUJ was delayed by nearly an hour. Immigration and customs was absolutely painless, and the agent that accommodated us was a pleasure to deal with and tried his best to get us out there as soon as possible, similar to Atlanta, fastest I've dealt with immigration. Our bag was tagged as priority by US Airways (with my status with United) and was the very first one to come out from the carousel. We had to bring our luggage to a transfer carousel which was easy enough. Security was a bit rude, but got out of there quick enough and didn't care much. Transferred to the F concourse through a bus which was quick and easy. E concourse was very small, cramped but for regional flights, it was definitely sufficient and had good food options and ample seating. Overall, a good experience with PHL.

I have passed through this airport a number of times over the last 2 years. I find it very easy to get around, the choice of restaurants is good (particularly recommend the wine bar near the B gates) and the waiting areas pleasant compared to some places. I have not however had to face check in or security as I have only been an arriving or transit passenger.

This is by far the worst airport I have ever experienced while trying to return from an international flight. We arrived in Philadelphia at 4.43 and our connection was at 6.25. There are 42 passport windows and only 10 were open for over 600 passengers in line. We get through there and have to go through security again after already going through security at our first airport, which only had 3 lanes open for the same 600 people. I asked the Officer in charge to see if we could get at the front of the line as our connecting flight was closing in 10 minutes and she said, "Looks like everyone is in the same boat and everyone would be missing their connections"! I will pay extra next time to fly through Charlotte, which has a much better process and much friendlier staff.

Coming in from an international flight (Canada) was a nightmare. Even with an 1 hr 20 mins between flights and running we could not make it to our connecting plane on time We had to go through TSA twice - once after clearing customs and again after having to exit the secured area to get to the other terminal! There was so much wrong it's hard to know where to start. Starting with having to climb down some steep stairs with our carry-on luggage after deplaning, wander along a long hallway only to have to take an escalator back up. Miles later, customs. Drag luggage to re-check it in for the remainder of the flight home. Through TSA because we had touched our checked baggage to drag it from customs. Then running with luggage from one end of the airport to another - including having to exit the secured area and cross a ticket lobby to get to the gate we needed to depart on. Had to then wait in a huge line to go through TSA again. Then running to make our gate at the end of another terminal. Showed up with barely a minute to spare only to find out they had changed our departure gate and did not announce it in the areas we were. The gate agent said they would call to tell the people at the new gate we were on the way and to wait. Once again, running to the end of yet another terminal only to find the plane had left. Gate agent not only didn't care but was extremely rude. Others missed the flight as well - for the same reason. We were stranded in the airport overnight. US Air refused to provide accommodations or even food until we could get another flight the next day. With the exception of one TSA agent, every employee we encountered was unhelpful and rude. I would never fly again if I had to go through the Philly airport. Horrible doesn't even begin to describe it.

What a nightmare these whole 2 hours that I had to spent there were! Never ending lines to absolutely ridiculous 'security checks', I mean - 45 minutes waiting in line to get your passport and ticket checked while you miss your flight. I'll be sure to never pass trough Philadelphia again if I can help it!

Its easy to get to the airport. After check-in I went to security which was very busy due to the rush hour early in the morning. Queues were handled efficiently. Sufficient seating space at the gate, clean. Free wifi and re- charging points are great bonus!

I've literally never been more embarrassed to be an American than when I past came through Philadelphia via an international flight. This airport is a total disaster in every which way. Once you're finished clearing customs visitors are subjected to lines in a cramped dingy hallway prior to being re-screened by the ever faithful TSA. After clearing security you are once again subjected to dimly lit low ceiling hallways manned by 2 to 3 US Airways employees at each turn informing you to stay to the right, and don't you forget it! After that miracle of American ingenuity you'll probably be lucky enough to have to transfer via bus to another terminal. True to style, these buses are a real help especially when running late to a flight, most notably when the bus waits 20 mins while two US airways employees stand and talk.

My main problem was with US Airways, but in looking over other flights that have gone in and out, it seems the airport is incapable of having flights arrive and depart in a timely manner. Apparently, my flight was not an aberration. I ended up spending the night in an area hotel due to the incompetence of all concerned, especially the extremely rude US Airways employees at my gate. It seems that no one is accountable for the chaos at this airport, and I will avoid flying there at all costs in the future. It sounds as if many foreigners use this airport and it is embarrassing to me, as a US Citizen, that this is the first "welcome" they get upon arrival to our country.

Philadelphia airport seems to work reasonably well although the terminals are very spread out and it's a long walk between them. However, connecting International passengers have to endure a desperately badly organized and understaffed security check once they have cleared customs and immigration. I only had carry- on luggage so I was one of the first through, but it still took me over 40 minutes. I hate to think how long it would have taken the people at the back of the plane with luggage. With hindsight, I wonder if it might not have been quicker to have existed the terminal and re-entered through another domestic security lane. Very poorly organized and very disappointing for an airport which seems to have aspirations to be an International hub.

Arriving from the UK en route to Hawaii (via Vegas). Immigration was reasonably well organised and the queues moved fairly quickly but the security area after claiming baggage and returning to second belt for connecting flights was carnage! There was no order and many people were queue jumping. Staff were unhelpful and oblivious and passengers were manic as many missed connecting flights (including us!). Avoid using this airport but if you have no choice would suggest you allow at least 3-4 hours between connecting flights as your connection will not wait for you and your bags invariably go without you!! We had to fly to Vegas via Phoenix adding an additional flight to our already very long journey as we had only allowed 2 hours in Philly. Advice for staff at Philadelphia airport - take a trip to some other US airports eg Phoenix or San Francisco who know how to organise thousands of passengers through security with minimum wait times and fuss and learn from them.

Customs and Immigration screening process for returning US Passport holders was totally ridiculous, with massive lines that make rides at Disneyland insignificant. It took us one hour and fifteen minutes to get through the process, then we had to recheck all our baggage and go through security screening again for our connecting flight home, which we barely made. The beautiful, relatively new facility is woefully understaffed in the passport control area (your tax dollars at work): of 35 available "stations" only 13 were being used.

Took 1.20 hrs to clear TSA security at terminal C before a 8.00 am flight. I am a frequent traveler, but was directed to the long switch back queue by TSA agent. Had to run down the terminal along with many others to catch our flights. This bottle neck needs to be fixed.

What a scandal that this pathetic excuse for an airport is what visitors see first. Immigration is fine with polite officers. That is where the good ends. The washrooms are filthy and broken down. Security in all terminals is appalling - Saturday afternoon with one lane open in the B and C terminals and not much better in D. F was fine, for obvious reasons - no-one starts their journey there. The 'family line' means that everyone else just waits while they push in front. The staff in general are lazy and impolite - absolutely no concept of customer service. I have used this airport for many years and it really has steadily got worse - to be avoided if at all possible. If you must use US Airways, may I suggest Charlotte for your connection. If coming in on an International flight, there isn't much choice - maybe go to another country where they understand treating passengers as human beings.

I'm not a frequent traveler; apparently they know better. An hour between flight connections in Philly is insufficient. I paid for, and hoped to enjoy, a Royal Caribbean cruise. Philly tells other airports to hold a plane on tarmac because they won't have a window available when you get there. Well, that is better than circling once you're there. Get to the connection boarding gate and see your flight to Miami taxiing out. I should have known better and gone down the day before. That's exactly what the ticket agent told me when I tried to scramble for an alternate flight. No, she didn't have any contact information for any of the other airlines. I would have to use my phone to call 1-800-information to get phone numbers to check with other airlines. I missed the boat in Miami. I missed the cruise. The cruise and round-trip flight non-refundable. My fault for not knowing the Philly airport is sub-par. Never allow less than two or three hours to make a connection in Philly.

One of those airports that can be impressive and disastrous at the same time. On the one had, tremendous improvements have been made to the organization and facilities of the airport. Eating and shopping options are quite diverse and great, everything is indicated very well, bus/trains/taxi connections between the airport and Philly are one of the best in America and such things like checking in have become smoother. On the other hand, many shortcomings are still present. The staff at PHL appear to be a concoction of the absolute worst mankind has to offer. Customs and immigration officers treat people like animals, security staff yell at people for no reason and most staff seem to have a passion for making sarcastic comments and remarks about other people. The airport is still disorganized and some security checks can take forever because instead of making lines, staff prefer to make herds. Finally, this airport is disgustingly dirty.

International arrivals is a mess. There is no organization of the lines as you get in other airports such as Baltimore and you can be stood on the same spot for ages. After finally clearing immigration you have to collect your checked bags and them carry them to another location to be put back on a belt. If your connecting flight is from terminal F, you then have to go through a further disorganized security check before you can board the shuttle to the terminal. We had a two hour layover and if it had not been for the incoming flight arriving early and the connecting flight taking off late, I think we would have struggled to make it. This is a major gateway airport and it gives a very bad impression to visitors to the USA.

My complaints were with US Airways service not with PHI itself. I found this airport quite lovely, TSA and airport staff were very nice and helpful. There's a mound of concessions and stores to occupy you're time if you have a lengthy layover. Cleanliness was pretty good and I will fly through PHI again.

The shuttle from Terminal F is slow, often not running, you cannot walk to terminal F. Food is lousy and expensive. As pointed out many times above the service is criminally slow and rude.

Not a bad airport for its size, has a pretty simple design that makes finding your way around easy. I've flown out of Terminal E (Southwest) and Terminal C (US Airways), and both have offered decent amenities. Terminal E, which is mostly Southwest flights, is spacious with plenty of seating and is generally less crowded. Not much in the way of shopping or eating in E, but its a nice and simple terminal for such a big airport. Check-in and security lines are quick and efficient - as is baggage handling. Terminal C is more crowded and you should expect to wait longer in line for everything. A lot more in the way of shopping and eating in C, but there is considerably less seating with considerably more people then E. Check-in and security lines can be a nightmare at peak hours. Gate changes are also frequent and flights are delayed regularly, so be ready.

I live in the Philadelphia region and use this airport frequently. Tremendous improvements have been made here over the last several years and its actually a pretty good airport. This is not the place that you would pick to eat, shop, or stay much longer than you needed to. However, there are some half-way decent places to eat, mainly in C terminal. Some reasonable shops, again in C. Free wifi available in some locations, with interesting art exhibits, especially in C-D hallway. TSA are decent, certainly much nicer and more efficient than in some other US airports. Security lines in terminal D are usually quick; F is a mess and can't be avoided for F passengers. Immigration and Customs are strict but not unfriendly. Let's face it, no US airport is fun and games, but PHL is certainly heads above Newark, JFK, Dulles and Chicago.

Clearly, there is little to no supervision of terminal operations. Immigration and customs staffing is far below what it needs to be, making for a very poor impression of America. It will remain this way so long as apathetic and lazy supervisors condone and, in fact, encourage it. Another review compared PHL to a bus station. Well, I concur. Whomever is running the International arrivals operations at PHL needs to open their eyes and ears. The comments here and elsewhere speak the truth.

Traveled through last night and had a miserable experience. Several international flights landed at the same time and customs was a mess. After waiting over an hour in line to pass through, we then had to collect our baggage to transfer. You would think that an hour would be enough time to get the baggage to the carousel, but apparently it wasn't. Finally, after transferring our luggage we thought we were on our way to make our connecting flight. We barely started down the halls to the terminals when the crowd of people stopped. We had to go through a second security check! We waited in line for 1 hour 15 minutes. No organized lines, just a herd of people. We had 3 hrs between flights and made it to our terminal just as our connecting flight was boarding!

Stopped here for a three hour layover between Roanoke and San Francisco. After landing outside Terminal F, the regional terminal I feared all the horror stories I heard were true. However staff were not rude, in fact quite polite and helpful. The shuttle arrived almost the instant I got to it, and then the main US Airways Terminal was also clean, including the bathrooms. Although the outlets and WiFi left a little to be desired. Not a bad place to be if you need to stop for a while.

After not flying to the USA for a very long time, I dreaded my arrival and the alleged border control and customs harassment. However, Philadelphia airport was a breeze, slick and easy to use Terminal, well signed, and after a 5 minute queue I was through full security checks in 5 minutes, with friendly staff.

We travelled through Philadelphia because of connecting flights Europe-PHL and PHL-Miami. We had 3 hours for connection, but were lucky our flights arrived 30 mins early. We waited at customs for 1.5 hrs as 4 planes arrived at the same time. Only half of counters were open on a Monday afternoon. If you plan to make connection between international and domestic flights, than you should allow at least 4 hrs to transfer. Airport itself is quite good, it is huge, lot of shops, plenty of eating possibilities, even cleanliness is ok. Also perfect connection to the city centre as the train SEPTA has a station right in front of the terminal.

Terminal F employees and their managers should be retrained. Weekly traveller through PHL. Rude employees that have no consideration for customers. Bathrooms are always filthy, towel dispensers rarely work, and no water pressure. Gate agents always making announcements over each other and at the same time as airport announcements so nobody can understand a word. Not enough time to list all of the bad experiences at PHL.