Philadelphia Airport

We arrived at Philadelphia Airport from Paris, France. As we approached customs, there was one person yelling for Americans to line up on the left and non Americans on the right. No signs were posted. It then took us almost two hours to stand in long lines to reach three different stages for re-entry into the U.S. After being in line for 45 minutes, we showed our passports to a machine that printed out our pictures and answers to the "declarations" form we had completed with paper/pen on our flight. Then we had to show our passports and declarations form to a live person after lining up for another 20-30 minutes. We were then released to the baggage area and then had to stand in another 10-15 minute line to show our form again before getting out to the street or other terminals. The airport was understaffed and the staff were uniformly rude or simply disinterested. As we tried to make our connecting flight to Dayton, OH, we were directed to get the shuttle bus to terminal F. The staff member pointed us down the hallway. We soon discovered he had pointed the wrong way and we had to return and go another direction to get to the street. At terminal F, the TSA folks who checked our liquids and carry ons, etc. could not have been ruder or more indifferent. Fortunately our connecting flight was 45 minutes late. We stood in lines for about 2 hrs, 15 minutes to reenter the US and make a connecting flight. The Philadelphia Airport staff were amazingly unhelpful and as a group - surly!

Their "Check In Kiosks" were not working properly, so, boarding passes had to be obtained by going to the US Airways counter. But not before standing in a very long and slow line. The reps seemed apathetic about their entire job. Security had lengthy and ultra slow lines. If you're picking up a rental car, you have to walk to the other side of the airport and wait for a shuttle bus to take you to another terminal several blocks away. Unlike Pittsburgh, which has a more flyer friendly approach to travel, Philadelphia's airport is a disgrace.

I took a day trip to Philadelphia to spend time with my girlfriend who had a 10 hour layover. I also wanted to use the opportunity to see my brother who moved up there about 9 months ago. We were planning on having lunch at the airport but there were no restaurants or shops outside of the security area. Nothing! Very stupid for people who want to arrive early at the airport and spend time with friends and family until they need to proceed to the gate.

I have never been so outraged by an airport experience! The airport personnel, the security personnel and even the Delta staff at the airport were all ineffectual, sometimes outright rude and totally unconcerned about helping the traveling public. I came in to Philadelphia airport after almost 18 hours of travel that was long, but for the most part pleasant, to encounter a system and personnel that was totally unacceptable. The lines were long, the procedures instituted by this airport cumbersome, the signage unintelligible, even to an educated English speaking person, the Personnel unhelpful and rude, the facilities dingy and dirty.

Add us to the list of folks dismayed to experience this rude, dirty place with inefficient and ineffective processes. We arrived from St. Petersburg, Russia via Paris. The Moscow and St. Petersburg airports and Customs processes were understandable and efficient, though we don't understand Russian. Paris was also easy. Then we arrive back to the USA and Philadelphia Airport, where despite being literate in English, we can't figure out what to do and the personnel seem more interested in barking at us than helping. The long snaking queues of people being treated like cattle in depressing. I couldn't understand why we had redundant security checks, and talked to the TSA fellow. He said he'd been trying to get it changed for 12 years, and that Philly is the only airport where when you arrive in the international terminal, it is then treated as if you have left the airport and re-entered when you go to the domestic terminal, so they need to repeat the security process. Our bags got lost and it took over two hours for security and Customs. Disgusting women's rest rooms with long lines. I could go on and on, but will stop with saying I'll try to avoid Philly in the future.

Philadelphia please overhaul your gate waiting areas. I tried to find a measly outlet in the C terminal to charge a dying cellphone. Not only couldn't I find an outlet that worked but the one that did work - apparently used for vacuum cleaners was nowhere near a seating area and people were lined up to use it. Get some of those "work station" columns and out them at the end of every seat aisle! Every other airport has managed to retrofit waiting areas for business AND leisure travelers!

We were flying in from London with US Airways / BA. Flight was late and arrived around 9.30 pm on 9th January 2015. Had a connecting flight in terminal F. Once we arrived custom clearance was quick but now the joke and disaster starts. Our luggage came out quickly and we picked it up only to find out that luggage re check and security to get back in the terminal had gone home! How can the airport manager let this happen knowing there is a flight coming in with connecting passengers. I think this airport is unorganised people absolutely useless and irresponsible. We paid a lot of money for those flights and our 4 year old was unpleased with all the stress and time difference. I will avoid this airport from now on.

This airport is notoriously understaffed at security checkpoints. I fly out of PHL at least 2 to 3 times a year. Every time I feel like I'm struggling to get through security to make my plane. This last time I waited in line for an hour and a half. No pep in the TSA agents step. Lines backed up to the top of the escalator. Nobody moving any faster to avoid inconveniencing their customers. I can see if you don't arrive within the required time but come on. They have to know how many flights they have booked and approximately how many people they have to get through. The whole line of people were stressing about missing their flight.

Airport wise it is completely functional and better than the NYC airports for the most part. Access is easy just off I95 plenty of parking and curbside check-in is easy. Security is hit and miss. If you arrive at the wrong time it can take forever to get through. Early mornings on a weekend - no problem took less than 10 mins. Security staff were ok no real issues. Biggest complaint is it is a really bland airport just not appealing to be in. Long way to baggage and just a really strange layout.

We landed in Philly Sept 30 after an 8-hour flight from Europe. The good: nothing - not one thing. The bad: Everything about this airport from the poorly kept waiting areas (torn seats food and trash on the floor and seats overflowing trash cans etc) to the rude lazy employees at the restaurants information booths customs and gates. The food court employees (Wendy's is where we went.) were rude and acted like they were doing us a favor. The ugly: Customs was the worst experience I have ever had in my more than 20 years of flying overseas. The new automated system was a joke. They have 20 or so machines but they would only let 5 people in at a time because it would overtax the system if they allowed more. The system did go down and we (and many other passengers) tried more than 10 times to get our "pass" to go through a human being. All of us had connecting flights and the nine workers stood around and laughed. "You all have connections ma'am." One guy laughed. We asked what the alternative was since it was at that point more than 30 minutes and they had none. I refuse to fly through that place again.