Washington Dulles Airport

Not Verified | My family and I visited the USA to visit my cousins. We had to land at Washington Dulles International Airport as this was the nearest major international airport closest to my cousins residence. The arrivals experience was just pathetic! The immigration took forever to complete. Even though the lines are very long, there appeared to be only one or two guys in the immigration kiosks, which together combined made a terrible immigration experience as a passenger. After the immigration was done (finally!) and on entering the baggage claim and arrivals waiting area, I found the area to be poorly maintained and also found water leaking from a spot in the ceiling. The departure experience was a little better. But the security areas made me feel like I'm in a building that is under construction. To sum up, I don't think a major capital city like Washington DC deserves this kind of a pathetic, poorly maintained international airport.

✅ Trip Verified | I am beyond embarrassed for our nations capital. Tourists waited inline for over two hours to get through immigration. Some were elderly and many with small children. Is this how we as Americans want to welcome guest into our nations capital? My experience: Yesterday I arrived at IAD and had to go through customs. There were hundreds of people in the immigration lines (that is not an exaggeration). I was told by an employee to downloaded the MPC app on my phone and I could join the shorter line. I did as instructed and got a QR code. I thought WOW, this is great! Not!! I was in line for just shy of 2 hours. There were only two custom agents for our line and they didn’t even look at my phone or need the QR code. Just wanted to see my passport. I do not have an answer but there has to be a better way in this day and age to do better.

Not Verified | The first time I Landed in Dulles back in January 2022 worse the worst travel experience I had ever had, or so I thought till I landed there again in January 2023. What a horrible place to embark or disembark. The terminals, immigration, customs, everything is just so archaic, and as much as the the ground staff try to make your experience pleasant, they are up against a 7 headed beast that just refuses to die. This must be the worst airport in the world. The powers that be who run this airport ought to cringe in shame for putting their fellow humans through such an life changing ordeal.

Not Verified | Every time I fly back into the US through Dulles, I'm struck by the inanity of those ridiculous shuttle vehicles they force us into. Perfect reflection of Washington, DC: inefficient and outdated. Plus, they never seem to have enough customs officers at passport control, even within a couple of days of the Christmas holidays. Sad because leaving the US through Dulles has always been pretty efficient.

✅ Trip Verified | After uncomfortable, cramped flights on United Airlines, the transit experience at Terminal D was very poor. Long walks between gates, no moving walkways, low ceilings, dismal decor, minimal gate area seating, and filthy restrooms were all on a par with a dingy Greyhound Bus Terminal.

Not Verified | Appalling. US customs system broke down, we stood in a line for over 2 hours, missed our connecting flight. Have to wait 25 hours for another flight. Most unhelpful staff ever, we are totally abandoned. United airlines are another disgrace. No hotel, food or even water offered to us. We are treated like dogs. Disgusting!! Will never fly into this horrible place ever again.

✅ Trip Verified | As many have stated, entering through immigration is a lesson in patience. With approx 200 people ahead of me and 5 persons working the kiosks it took 1 hour and 28 minutes to get to the immigration. Once there, it took all of one minute to be processed, thus I do not know why it took so long. Once through, it was time to have my carryon inspected...another delay. In the bag, was a bottle of inexpensive rum that I bought at duty-free at my departing airport. It was in a sealed bag, but no receipt attached to it. I think she may have handed it to me and I simply threw it in the garbage. Well, the staff member at customs told me I could not take it. I spoke my opinion of why from that point forward I would avoid this airport and departed one bottle short. Welcome to "Merricah"! Now, as an airport goes, Dulles is missing something. It is missing a "T" at the end of it's name. This place reminded me of something out of the movie Airplane. A place stuck in time. I had a 6 hour layover and that was the most boring layover I have experienced. Simply nothing to do. Typical of many airports, I grossly overpaid for a sub-par meal, but I was ready for that. The $15usd draft beer made me feel like I was at a Leafs game. The positives? My fight left on time so I did not have to stay any longer in Dullest Airport.

Not Verified | Our flight from Paris arrived at 4.30. We went to customs and there were hundreds of people in line. The lines seem to be moving very well and look like everything was running pretty efficiently. Then at approximately 6 o’clock all of the agents left and went on break except for one or maybe two with 1000 people in line. This is not acceptable. We had many families with small children which had to wait in the line for two hours waiting for the one or two agents that were still there to get through all of these people. This is totally unacceptable if the agents had just stayed at their posts for another 30 minutes the room probably would’ve been cleared but instead we all had to stand staring at each other for two hours.

✅ Trip Verified | Departure was fine, arrival was awful! After witnessing the efficiency of international arrivals at Heathrow, I was appalled at how awful Dulles was. As a foreigner in the UK, I was through immigration in less than 10 minutes, as I was able to utilize their automated kiosk, it did a facial scan to match my my face to my passport, then I went straight to my luggage, as I didn’t need to speak with an agent if I had nothing to declare. The entire time, every encounter with an employee at Heathrow was pleasant. I come back to my own country, and I’m treated like a criminal - get herded like cattle to wait in a long line because they only have four agents working, every agent has that arrogant facial expression and body language, and then I get yelled at by the agent because I declared items that I had bought on the electronic form prior to landing. “You didn’t need to do this.” They use facial recognition as well, but a human has to review it - why? Heathrow is much busier, and they’ve automated the entire process. If the CBP agents think they’re doing us a favor by doing their damned jobs, then automate the process and send them down to the southern border where they’re needed.

✅ 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".